Tyromer building pilot tyre recycling plant in Arnhem, Netherlands

Canada-based Tyromer is building a factory Arnhem, the Netherlands as a pilot before bringing it circular rubber products to the European market. Tyromer told investment bodies that it will fine-tune and exhibit its recycling technology at its new Dutch facility in order to sell the process to third parties. Located at Kleefse Waard Industrial Park (IPKW) in Arnhem, the factory is currently being ready to start early in the summer of 2021. The location employ approximately 12 people.

Founded at the University of Waterloo in Canada, Tyromer’s concept centres on its ability to can create new tyres from old ones – turning rubber into a circular product. Like comparable pyrolysis processes, it also saves an additional 94 per cent of energy compared to making “virgin” rubber. In addition, this method reduces CO2 emissions by removing the need to incinerate or combust old rubber.

“A great deal of ‘waste’ rubber is a product of Mother Nature. It is a durable and strong material. That must not be destroyed,” said Jos van Son, managing director of Tyromer Europe, adding: “…As the inventor of the process, Tyromer now sells licenses to compounders, who can then use them themselves. The more companies recycle rubber, the greater the environmental benefit.”

Moving forward, Tyromer Europe will collaborate on R&D with two Dutch universities to innovate new ways of recycling various rubber sources, thus advancing the Netherlands’ circular ecosystem.

“There is still a way of development to be able to recycle other types of rubber in the future and thus save them from the waste mountain. We are going to collaborate with the University of Twente and Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, which have a reputation for polymers and rubbers in particular,” said van Son.