Pyrum & partners gain Materialica award for waste tyre car parts

Mercedes-Benz is starting to equip its EQE and S-Class models with door handles containing materials gleaned from end-of-life tyres (ELT), and those involved in the project have been acknowledged for their contribution. Pyrolysis-based ELT recycling specialist Pyrum Innovations AG, together with BASF SE, Mercedes-Benz AG and Witte Automotive GmbH, received a Materialica Design + Technology Award 2022 at the eMove360 ° trade fair in Berlin earlier this month.

“We are very happy about this award. It is a confirmation for the entire team that has worked tirelessly on this development,” states Pascal Klein, chief executive officer of Pyrum Innovations. “Pooling our know-how to minimise the consumption of natural resources and to use the greatest possible amount of recycled raw materials in production is another important milestone towards a sustainable circular economy.”

A new plastic from renewable raw materials

Biomethane and pyrolysis oil from ELT replaces fossil raw materials during the door handles’ production. This closure of the ELT recycling loop beings with Pyrum producing pyrolysis oil from discarded tyres using its own pyrolysis process. It ships this oil to BASF, which feed it into the Verbund manufacturing network at the start of production along with biomethane from agricultural waste. The two raw materials combine to create an entirely new plastic.

The plastic is certified according to the ‘mass balance method’ with an independent certification confirming the replacement of fossil resources required for the final product with renewable raw materials and pyrolysis oil from ELT.

The choice of secondary materials reduces both fossil resource usage and CO2 footprint in the manufacturing process. This current cooperation between Pyrum, BASF, Mercedes-Benz and Witte is the first to utilise a combination of pyrolysis oil from ELT and biomethane to create a recycled plastic that possesses the same properties as virgin plastic made from fossil raw materials. This makes chemical recycling particularly suitable for producing components that are subject to high quality and safety requirements.