Site found for Pyrum’s new plant

Pyrum Innovations will soon begin work on a new facility not far from its main plant in Dillingen, in Germany’s Saarland. The end-of-life tyre recycling specialist reports that the town council in Homburg, some 30 miles from its main site and headquarters, has unanimously approved the sale of a publicly-owned section of land to Pyrum for the purpose of setting up a new pyrolysis plant. The company hopes the planning and approval process can now “begin as soon as possible.”

Pascal Klein, chief executive officer of Pyrum Innovations, shares that only two months separated the company’s first contact with Homburg mayor Michael Forster in December 2022 and the council’s unanimous approval of the project. “This speed is unique and we would like to thank officials in Homburg for their fantastic support. We now want to start planning as soon as possible and are confident that the approval process will be as smooth as the expansion in Dillingen, as we are working with the same authorities.”

“The siting of Pyrum is also a great gain for Homburg and a logical addition to our business location,” adds mayor Michael Forster. “With Pyrum’s promising technology, we are building a bridge to a circular economy that ideally enriches our tradition-steeped automotive location with end-of-life tyre recycling. In addition, experience with the plant in Dillingen shows that the citizens of Homburg do not have to expect any noise or harmful pollution.”

Close to Michelin, BASF facilities

Many similarities exist between Pyrum’s main plant in Dillingen and the planned new facility in Homburg. Once completed, both will consist of three pyrolysis reactors that offer a capacity to process around 20,000 tonnes of waste tyres per year. The new site also offers numerous advantages: Michelin produces truck tyres, rubber compounds and steel cord fabrics in Homburg and has supplied Pyrum with end-of-life tyres for the past three years, and an expansion of this arrangement is now on the cards.

In addition, the block of land in Homburg also features a railway siding that will facilitate more environmentally friendly logistics when supplying the BASF facility in Ludwigshafen, a strategic partner since autumn 2020 and a buyer of Pyrum’s pyrolysis oil. Last but not least, the facility in Homburg will free up capacities at the Dillingen plant, giving Pyrum the ability to accept waste tyres from Luxembourg without having to build a separate plant in the neighbouring country.