Sustainable Development Goals
Project Status:
Completed | Operating Since 2016
Organizations Involved:
CRR, Niersberger, Reoil, European Union, Kabe, Stellwerk, CEC Leipzig, CM Shredders, Eldan, Fornnax
Services:
Design & Engineering, Turn-Key DBC, Due Diligence, Supply Chain Management, Carbon Management, Packaged Solutions, Component Supply, Operator Training
The Challenge:
The rubber and car industries generate over a billion used tyres annually. In the European Union, the waste treatment hierarchy for resource recovery and recycling takes second place, following prevention of waste as the most desirable direction. Used tyres are an example of waste that illustrates the changes in the recovery and recycling market well.
Every year, it's estimated that over 20 million metric tons of scrap tires are generated worldwide. Scrap tyres are foreseen to increase steadily at a rate in line with the number of motor vehicles. In the EU, approximately 3.4 million tons of used passenger vehicle tyres were generated in 2017, while figures for Poland include 275,000 tonnes (along with 200,000 tonnes of truck tyres) (Central Statistical Office, 2017). Similar data on the production of passenger car tyres in Poland is available from the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA). The conclusion (ETRMA, 2017) would thus be that 79% of the tyres produced in Poland are recycled or recovered, with 42% becoming recycled material (granulated tyres) or retread, and 29% being used for energy recovery (burned in cement kilns). The fact that the remaining 21% of spent tyres go unused represents an excellent potential for the scrap tyres to gain use in other parts of the economy, such as resource recovery, as is the case with a potential tyre pyrolysis solution.
As the second-largest country in Central Europe, after Germany, Poland is also one of Europe’s largest hubs for rubber and tire manufacturing. However, Poland is no exception in producing significant amounts of scrap tyres each year. Polish disposal rates (gate fees/tipping fees) for scrap tires ranged between €25 and €75 per metric tonne. Current disposal methods for waste tyres do not guarantee environmental safety; hence, the prohibition on disposing of tyres in conventional landfills. In Poland, provisions of the Act of 11 May 2001 (Journal of Laws, 2001) were put into force and, in this regard, requires that all tyre manufacturers recover 75% of the tonnage of manufactured tyres coming off the market, with at least 15% of that taking the form of recycling. Currently, the management of used car tyres in Poland entails material recycling (high-energy granulation) and energy recovery (burning tyres in cement kilns). Used tyres are among the types of waste that can have the most severe impact on the environment if new solutions are not implemented in the near term.
The Solution:
In 2013, Carbon Resources Recovery GmbH ("CRR") of Berlin commissioned Niersberger, an EPC firm, to project manage and construct a fully continuous waste tyre pyrolysis plant. In 2014, a site was selected in Bukowno, Poland, approximately 45 minutes from the city center of Katowice.
The CRR team and its Joint Venture Partner ("JV"), Reoil, fully permitted the site. The plant was partly funded by EU grants that covered a significant portion of the capital costs. The KleanTeam provided the remaining equity. The project was built in two phases, each consisting of two 10,000 TPA tyre pyrolysis lines for a total plant capacity of 20,000 TPA. The plant's first phase was fully commissioned in 2015, and the second phase was completed in 2016. It has been running continuously on a 24/7 basis for 330 days, with full runtime since its commission date. It should be noted that this plant was built and financed without any off-take; the KleanTeam and Reoil had to develop these markets, which didn't exist when this plant was built.
This plant design, operations, and process improvements enabled the commercialization of the first successful installation of a fully automatic continuous process plant that utilizes pyrolysis technology to recover carbon black of high quality, suitable for use as a filler in various rubber and plastics applications.
In 2019, Klean Industries acquired 100% of Carbon Resources Recovery GmbH ("CRR") and its process technology and know-how. In the long term, Klean plans to expand its facilities to the European Union, North America, and Oceania.
Download IP ownership confirmation from EPC partner, Niersberger Group >> GO.
The Outcome:
The result is the preservation of finite resources through the production of the following sustainable commodities (approximate volume):
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