Pyrum Innovations gains permit for expanded main plant

Authorities in Germany have granted Pyrum Innovations AG approval to start operating the two new production lines at its main plant in Dillingen. Obtaining this official permit is a significant milestone for Pyrum as it verifies the approvability of its series production plants and means that future facilities can be built without facing official restrictions.

“We are very pleased to have received the final operating permit so early,” says Pascal Klein, chief executive officer of Pyrum Innovations. “The approval is important for our ambitious rollout plans, as we also assume positive cooperation with the authorities for our future plants – for example, for our joint venture Revalit in Straubing or the ten planned plants we want to build with Unitank.”

Construction proceeding as planned

Pyrum is currently expanding its plant in Dillingen from one to three pyrolysis reactors and has also installed further associated equipment, including a shredder and pelletising plant. The official approval covers the operation of the pyrolysis plant’s two new reactors and a throughput of around two tonnes of end-of-life tyres (ELT) per hour, the storage of a further 160,000 litres of oil and 500 tonnes of ELT, as well as the operation of a further shredder plant with a capacity of up to six tonnes of tyres per hour.

Despite encountering problems with deliveries, Pyrum reports that construction of the pyrolysis plant is proceeding according to plan. The company has secured the timely delivery of plant components thanks to the efforts of internal project coordinators.

Loop checks, which include the testing of all installed cables and sensors and are usually the last steps in the construction process, are scheduled for December. Commissioning will start immediately afterwards. Assembly of the new shredder plant will commence in the next few days and it will be operational in November.

Joint projects

Last month, Pyrum concluded a memorandum of understanding with tank terminal operator Unitank Betriebs- und Verwaltungs GmbH for the joint construction and operation of up to ten pyrolysis plants in the European Union by 2030. Each of the planned facilities is to be equipped with at least three pyrolysis reactors and thus have a recycling capacity of around 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres per year. With a total investment volume of more than 300 million euros, the plans represent a “significant expansion of Pyrum Innovations AG’s current capacities.”

In addition, preparatory work at the Revalit joint venture is also on schedule. Together with three partners, Pyrum is building and will operate a pyrolysis plant in Straubing, Bavaria with a processing capacity of 20,000 tonnes, the same capacity as the expanded plant in Dillingen. The firm Revalit GmbH was founded for this purpose and a suitable site in the port of Straubing-Sand on the River Danube secured. In addition, Revalit has made the first engineering down payment for the plant and begun work on its planning and approval.