MMEC Mannesmann & Black Bear Carbon Join Forces to Bring the Circular Economy to Tires
Black Bear Carbon and MMEC Mannesmann have formed a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of a circular tire economy by utilizing recovered carbon black from end-of-life tires.
MMEC Mannesmann GmbH (MMEC), a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), and Black Bear, a Dutch tire-to-carbon-black upcycling company, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the rollout of Black Bear’s breakthrough technology for producing recovered Carbon Black (rCB) from end-of-life tires.
MMEC Mannesmann is well-known for executing complex projects in the oil, gas, refining, chemical, and renewable energy industries. The German General Contractor carries key expertise in executing turnkey projects, from early project development and feasibility studies to conceptual, basic, and front-end engineering design, as well as detailed design, procurement, and construction. With its involvement in highly innovative and large-scale engineering projects worldwide, MMEC is the ideal strategic partner for Black Bear in the rollout of the technology.
Black Bear positions itself as an innovative manufacturer of green, sustainable rCB of the highest quality – the world’s first Cradle-to-Cradle certified Carbon Black. The Dutch scale-up, which attributes itself to one of the most promising cleantech companies worldwide, developed a unique carbonization process to transform used tires into valuable resources. In several industries, rCB is used as an additive in rubber, tires, plastics, coatings, and inks, bringing black color into products.
While Carbon Black is currently produced by burning oil in a highly energy-intensive and CO2-emitting process, manufacturers are seeking sustainable alternatives to reduce their environmental footprint. One of Black Bear’s clients is AkzoNobel, the world leader in paints and coatings. “To meet the growing demand for rCB and achieve a substantial impact in addressing the waste tire problem, we need to roll out our proven technology,” explains Joost Raimond, Construction Director at Black Bear.
“Having been in the EPC industry for many years, I know that the partnership with MMEC is a game-changer in terms of our time-to-market, as we can now offer real turn-key plant realization to clients who want to utilize our technology,” he continues.
As part of the strategic partnership, MMEC will perform the detailed engineering, procurement, and construction of Black Bear’s innovative facilities. Johann-Georg Rathgeb, Head of Technologies at MMEC Mannesmann, says, “Black Bear’s proven technology is on the rise. We have been closely monitoring their technology developments for quite some time now. Considering the lessons learned from their first industrial-sized pilot plant and despite the fire that occurred in early February, we are convinced that together we can realize state-of-the-art plants worldwide.”
The initial focus will be on already identified sites together with partners inside Europe. Given MMEC’s strong presence in the Middle East, this region is also expected to see Black Bear facilities emerging in the future.
Oliver Apelt, CEO of MMEC Mannesmann, adds:
“We are delighted about this partnership with Black Bear. We have a strong belief in their technology and look forward to rolling it out globally.”
Martijn Lopes Cardozo, CEO of Black Bear, is also optimistic about the collaboration. “This is a big step forward for Black Bear. By bundling our expertise and resources with MMEC’s, we will set a high pace for our global rollout and bring the circular economy to tires,” he says.
More about MMEC Mannesmann
MMEC Mannesmann is an independent German EPC contractor offering its customers a full range of services, from conceptual study and feasibility project phases to project implementation. As a fully integrated General Contractor, MMEC Mannesmann serves clients in diverse industries in Germany and worldwide. Through collaborative partnerships with customers, partners, and suppliers, MMEC Mannesmann builds long-term, trustworthy relationships and implements projects across a broad portfolio. The field of activities ranges from oil & gas, chemicals, metals & minerals to renewables. MMEC Mannesmann’s experts constantly offer the most innovative technologies and best solutions to the clients to optimize their investments and meet the world’s energy challenges. MMEC Mannesmann’s mission is to deliver safe, sustainable, and high-quality projects worldwide.
More about Black Bear Carbon
Black Bear is a green, recovered carbon black (rCB) manufacturer that produces carbon black using end-of-life tires as a resource material, rather than fossil oil. Black Bear reports that it aims to change the industry with breakthrough technology and passionate people, believing it can save considerable amounts of CO2 in the carbon black market, solve the waste tire problem, and operate a profitable business at the same time.
Carbon black is a crucial component in rubber, plastics, inks, and paints, used to modify their properties into usable products. Almost everything that we see around us that is black contains carbon black. Current manufacturers produce carbon black by combusting oil (the “furnace process”), emitting CO2 and thereby polluting the environment. Black Bear recovers carbon black from used tires cleanly and sustainably.
Black Bear plans to lead the transition towards a circular economy for tires by rolling out hundreds of tire upcycling plants in collaboration with local partners worldwide, with a focus on Europe for its next plants. When it reaches its full potential of repurposing every end-of-life tire with its circular solution, Black Bear will reduce global annual oil consumption by more than 215 million barrels. After 6 years of testing and 2 years of production experience, Black Bear says it is now ready to roll out its concept worldwide and start producing on a large commercial scale.
Press release by Black Bear Carbon.
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Join the Leaders in Closing the Loop on Tires
As MMEC Mannesmann and Black Bear Carbon advance with innovative rCB production from waste tires, Klean Industries is empowering recyclers, manufacturers, and EPC partners to lead the charge toward a truly circular economy.
With advanced pyrolysis and carbon upgrading solutions backed by decades of global experience, Klean can help your business transform scrap tires into high-value, sustainable commodities, such as rCB and renewable fuels.
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