The environmental effect of the pyrolysis process is substantial - The 17-acre plant will stop 60,000 tonnes of shredded tyre rubber a year - the equivalent of 7.5 million tyres - going to landfill, saving 500,000 tonnes of emissions annually. Thousands of tonnes of valuable carbon black, steel and oil will be produced every year.
At every stage of a tyre’s life cycle, from the sourcing of raw materials to the mountains of waste tyres that scar the landscape, tyres are bad news for the environment.
Tyre manufacture relies on the consumption of substantial quantities of strategic resources, such as petroleum, mined minerals and energy, as well as fast disappearing natural resources, such as rubber trees.
It also generates significant levels of localised pollution. Nevertheless, it is during and at the end of their life that tyres generate the greatest amount of harmful pollutants.
The PYReco process delivers:
1. A reduction of Greenhouse Gasses. A direct impact on Kyoto targets. The
reduction of CO2 arises from three main sources:
a. The production of Carbon Black by a more energy/emission efficient process. A
tonne of conventional black requires circa 1.32 tonnes of Oil to be burnt in its
creation. Pyrolysis recycles.
b. A recent BRE study has shown that when given an index measurement, the creation of steel has a factor of circa 140 whereas recycled steel has a factor of 5. The ability to recycle the Steel produces a sharply reduced energy and emissions
profile.
c. The PYReco process liberates considerable quantities of excess energy. Electricity
generation capacity will be achieved through the combustion of pyro gas and oil.
2. Conversion of a “Semi-Hazardous Waste” into “Green” energy and raw materials
through recycling. This attribute is given a specific mention in the UK Government
White Paper of 28th May 2007 and in the Blah Act of 2008. The statement that tyres are a vexatious waste problem is universally acknowledged. Removing them from the system and recycling them meets one of the “preferred solution” tests for any waste material in line with Directive/Environment Agency guidelines.
3. The removal of a “Semi-Hazardous” waste. The Chemical Hazards and Poisons
Division of the UK Health and Safety Agency, in its report Chemical Hazards and
Poisons Report No.1, updated: 21 November 2007 has demonstrated its concerns
about waste tyres.
Not only are tyres a problematic waste when disposed of according to current regulations, they are a serious environmental issue. Illegally dumped tyres are a growing menace across the UK and Continental Europe. The scale of this problem is seldom referred to in detail however industry figures show that Local Authorities throughout Europe are experiencing severe difficulties. A recent study in the USA has concluded that while too little is known of the potential toxic problems arising from used tyres, there is sufficient evidence to indicate a cause for concern.
4. Assisting industry in compliance with European Union Directives. By returning material to various industries as a useable product in new manufacture, PYReco will be assisting businesses to raise their profile in several important areas of EU and Global waste and emissions regulations.
Displacement:
It is in the three arenas of CO2 emissions, recycling and energy conservation that PYReco makes the biggest impact.
An average weight passenger car tyre contains more than 2.5 kilograms of valuable carbon black, over 19,000 BTUs of gas, 1 kilogram of steel and 2 litres of oil.
PYReco’s process recovers these by-products using an estimated 5% of the energy while producing only 5% of the CO2 it takes to create virgin carbon black and oil products.
Most significantly PYReco’s process produces virtually no runaway emissions.
PYReco’s positive impact on the environment through provision of a ‘best practice’ solution will be considerable and as a consequence the process provides advantages on several levels.
The reuse of PYReco’s carbon black will displace the need to burn significant quantities
of Oil.
Conventional pyrolysis technology requires energy to release energy and the approximate ratio is 10 units of energy consumed to release 8 units. By comparison tyre pyrolysis releases considerably more energy than it consumes, at a rate in excess of
5 to 1.
Since PYReco started work on this project, global attitudes towards climate change and the use of renewable resources have strengthened considerably.
Within the European Union, the political agenda has begun to swing strongly towards taking legislative steps to reduce waste and pollution and to focus on the use of technology that assists sustainable development and renewables.
At the same time the after-shocks of the Russian Gas supply difficulty and the more recent increases in Oil prices have made everyone more aware of the need to protect strategic resources.
The motor industry is a particular target of several of the latest European Directives. The drive for 95% recycled materials in the manufacture of new cars and the “producer pays” principle to addressing ultimate disposal of waste materials, makes PYReco's pyrolysis solution for used car tyres (and also several other rubber based components for vehicles) a very attractive one.
