SERVICES & EQUIPMENT: LEADING THE MARKET IN RECOVERED CARBON BLACK EQUIPMENT & SYSTEMS

Sustainable Development Goals

Project Status:
ONGOING | Feasibility Studies, Product Testing & Equipment Supply 
Organizations Involved:
Klean Industries, Hosokawa Group, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Onahama Refining & Smelting Co, Tokyo University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Toyo Construction 
Services:
Design & Engineering, Due Diligence, Component Supply

Introduction

After decades of working with the best equipment vendors, Klean Industries has identified significant opportunities to reduce capital costs while delivering world-class recovered carbon black (rCB) equipment solutions for industrial-scale production of rCB from end-of-life tires. Our turnkey rCB systems are engineered for maximum energy efficiency, modular scalability, and commercial reliability.

Whether you're launching your first rCB plant or expanding an existing operation, our technology delivers the precision, safety, and ROI needed to meet global demand for sustainable carbon black alternatives. By taking an equipment-agnostic approach, we can provide comprehensive systems tailored to custom equipment and applications, working with all major brands and vendors of mills, classifiers, screens, pelletizers, and various component suppliers.

As the global tyre-to-fuel industry matures, the ability to reclaim recovered carbon black (rCB) at scale is more than an add-on; it’s a critical differentiator. Klean Industries has developed a turnkey solution for deploying rCB recovery units and modular continuous systems, guaranteeing ASTM-grade output and seamless plant integration.

The Challenge

For decades, one of the biggest challenges in the tire pyrolysis industry has been the inability to produce high-quality recovered carbon black (rCB) that could compete with virgin carbon black (vCB) in mainstream applications. While pyrolysis systems can thermally decompose end-of-life tires and recover carbonaceous char, most of the outputs remain coarse, impure, and inconsistent, making them unsuitable for use in the rubber, plastic, or pigment industries.

Without refined processing systems and standardized specifications, the recovered material was often treated as a low-value filler, or worse, disposed of entirely. The absence of proven equipment solutions for micronization, classification, and purification meant that pyrolysis remained an incomplete recycling method, failing to fully capture the value embedded in tire-derived materials.

One of the key materials in tire manufacturing is carbon black, a reinforcing filler that enhances durability. However, traditional carbon black production is highly unsustainable:

• 1 ton of virgin carbon black requires 1.5 – 2.0 tons of oil and emits 2.5 – 3 tons of CO2
• The EU tire industry alone consumes 1.8 million tons of virgin carbon black, accounting for 65-70% of total carbon black demand.  

Despite the increasing demand for sustainable alternatives, the market lacks a consistent, high-quality supply of recovered carbon black (rCB) at scale. Large tire manufacturers, such as Continental, aim to increase the use of recycled materials from 4% to 10% by 2025, highlighting the urgent need for advanced tire recycling solutions.

ALREADY established pyrolysis plant owners frequently struggle with:

• Thermal Process Issues: Solid separation loops often incur product loss or quality degradation.
• Low Throughput: Batch or semi-continuous systems bottleneck production.
• Variable Quality: Inconsistent moisture, particle size, or chemical purity prevents ASTM-grade rCB.
• Integration Gaps: Separators, dryers, classifiers, and packaging systems frequently lack end-to-end engineering alignment.

Clients, ranging from OEM plant builders to tyre pyrolysis operators, seek scalable, reliable rCB systems but face numerous fragmented suppliers.

Klean’s Systematic & Tested Solution

1. Turnkey rCB Equipment Kits: Modular systems—including separators, classifiers, dryers, and packaging—custom engineered for 10–100 TPD capacity.
2. Continuous Separation & Drying: Our design fully integrates cyclone, dewatering, drying, and classification in a 24/7 industrial process, maximizing thermal efficiency and product quality.
3. ASTM-Grade Output Assurance: Built-in real-time moisture and particle-size monitoring ensure rCB consistently meets ASTM D8228-18 and ISO 20007-1 standards.
4. Plug-&-Play Integration: Our systems are delivered pre-commissioned on modular skids, allowing for seamless integration with pyrolysis train controllers and packaging systems.
5. Support & Upgrades: Klean delivers remote performance monitoring, actuation tuning, and scheduled service to maintain throughput and product specs over time.

Outcomes & Impact

• Operational Productivity: Clients report up to 40% higher rCB throughput vs legacy batch units.
• Quality Assurance: Real-time monitoring and classification consistently achieve ≤0.5% moisture, with a GSB of 300–700 mesh.
• Capital Efficiency: Modular skids reduce installation time by 50% and cut initial capital expenditures by up to 20%.
• Scalable Deployment: Installations operating globally, scaling pyrolysis projects in Asia, Europe, and North America.
• Product Market Validation: ASTM-grade rCB feedstock trusted by OEMs, retreaders, and industrial rubber manufacturers.

Innovative Systems  

Klean Industries’ cutting-edge milling systems are designed to adapt to the varying quality of tire char and optimize carbon black recovery. Unlike unprocessed tire-derived char, which has limited commercial value, refined rCB is ten times more valuable, making it a viable and sustainable alternative to virgin carbon black.  

Key features of Klean Industries’ rCB processing technology:  

• Fine grinding and classification: Achieves particle sizes of d97 = 5-20 µm for superior quality.  
• Energy-efficient processing: Lowers operational costs compared to traditional jet mill grinding.  
• ATEX compliance: Ensures safety and regulatory adherence in industrial applications.  
• Customizable solutions: Adaptable to different tire feedstocks and process conditions.  

By leveraging high-quality milling and classification systems, Klean Industries enhances the value and usability of rCB for tire production, conveyor belts, rubber parts, and even paint manufacturing.

Leadership Insights

Klean doesn’t just build individual components; we engineer the ecosystem. From dust to delivery, our systems are precision-engineered, data-driven, and industrial‑scale. We bring a modular engineering discipline to what is still a nascent but critical global rCB market.

When companies strive for circular integrity and high-quality product output, only integrated systems that combine separation, drying, monitoring, and packaging can deliver consistency at scale. That’s why Klean leads.

Learn how Klean Industries can help your business reduce its carbon footprint and integrate sustainable materials into your supply chain. Contact us today to discover our innovative solutions for tire recycling and the production of recovered carbon black. We can provide turn-key, standalone modular units for any project globally.  

Build Your rCB Plant with Klean’s Proven Pyrolysis Technology.

Looking to manufacture recovered carbon black? Klean Industries delivers fully integrated rCB pyrolysis systems designed for high-throughput, energy-efficient operations using tires, rubber, or mixed elastomeric waste.

Our modular platforms enable phased scale-up, and our engineering team supports you from design through to commissioning.

Request a Custom Equipment Quote or Feasibility Package >> GO.

This project addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by considering the goals and associated targets illustrated by the WBCSD’s Tire Industry Project (TIP). TIP provides a framework for action that outlines impactful pathways for the tire sector to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To learn more about how Klean's approach, solutions, and technologies contribute to advancing the SDGs, please review the report "Sustainability Driven: Accelerating Impact with the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap." See: https://www.wbcsd.org/Sector-Projects/Tire-Industry-Project/End-of-Life-Tires-ELTs