SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, part of global waste management and resources major SUEZ Group (SUEZ) has announced it has entered into a one-year exclusivity agreement with Germany's Pyrum Innovations AG (Pyrum) to build the UK’s first plant using Pyrum’s patented "thermolysis" technology for recycling end-of-life tyres (ELT).
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Over the coming 12 months, the agreement will see SUEZ identify a location for the first plant and initiate the approval process with support from Pyrum. The planned plant will comprise three pyrolysis reactors with a recycling capacity of around 20 000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres (ELT) annually.
Pyrum’s patented pyrolysis reactor technology will result in the recovery of high-quality raw materials from tyres, saving up to 72 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the process when compared with current recycling methods.
During the proprietary thermolysis process, tyres are separated into their component raw materials – pyrolysis oil, carbon black, and pyrolysis gas.
The carbon black is re-used in the manufacturing of new tyres, the pyrolysis oil is taken by global chemicals major BASF SE (BASF) and recycled into new products and the pyrolysis gas is used to power the plant.
Enable European expansion
Through the partnership with SUEZ, Pyrum is expanding its extensive and promising pipeline for developing pyrolysis plants across Europe. The company operates an industrial-scale facility in Dillingen, Germany.
The European rollout of our unique technology continues to progress. In SUEZ, we were able to partner with one of the leading companies in the field of sustainable solutions and innovative technologies for the British circular economy. Working together, Pyrum and SUEZ will benefit from each other’s expertise. The first site will now be identified as soon as possible. We will then work together to complete the approval process with the local authorities, said Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations.
Tapping into the UK tyre recycling market
In partnering with Pyrum, SUEZ is tapping into the UK’s recycling market for ELT, where more than half of used tyres are currently not recycled.
Around 50 million tyres (480 000 tonnes) are disposed of in the UK, currently 13.4 million of these are used as an alternative fuel, with the remaining tyres shredded and ground into a new material called crumb which is used on sports pitches or playgrounds – the rest are sent for energy recovery or to landfill.
SUEZ brings to the project its track record in providing resilient and innovative solutions for its customers’ waste, with its significant expertise and experience in delivering new infrastructure, from design through to operation.
This agreement marks an exciting milestone for SUEZ as leaders in the development of a more circular, resource-efficient UK economy. With our expertise in delivering new infrastructure, SUEZ is the natural choice to pioneer this innovative technology in the UK, which will see a vast improvement in the recycling of end-of-life tyres, and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared with current tyre recycling technologies. We look forward to working with Pyrum over the coming year to develop plans for the first UK plant, said John Scanlon, CEO at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK.
Elsewhere in the Group, SUEZ is innovating with pyrolysis technology in its water business, leading a research program to evaluate the benefits of pyrolysis for treating sewage sludge to capture carbon.
