Raw Materials
Under an expanded cooperation, end-of-life tyre (ELT) recycling equipment manufacturer Eldan Recycling A/S and pyrolysis technology developer Pyrum Innovations AG will include each other’s products in their complete recycling solutions. The Danish and German firms say they’ll distribute these solutions “actively”.
This week, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company achieved a further step towards its goal of fully replacing petroleum-derived oils by 2040. Selected products within the Goodyear Metro Miler range, a city transit tyre available to customers in North America, are now produced using a bio-based soybean oil compound that replaces a portion of the petroleum-based materials used.
With its acquisition of Trinseo’s rubber production plants in Schkopau, Germany late last year, Polish firm Synthos has also taken on the minority stake in Swiss start-up Tyre Recycling Solutions (TRS) that Trinseo held. It reports that its collaboration with TRS is now “progressing according to plan.”
Tyre recycling and product recovery specialists Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) is has noted “a sharp increase of interest in purchasing the carbon black and oil that Enviro recovers from end-of-life tyres” since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Interest has been observed “among old and new customers”, but the company has not commented on what this means in terms of specific orders.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine is now impacting Europe’s leading economies and specifically Germany. For those producing tyres, hoses, seals or health protection products, the situation is particularly series due to the duel effects of tight carbon black supplies and rising energy and specifically gas costs. “Carbon black is an indispensable material for production and so far more than a third comes from Russia,” explained Boris Engelhardt, general manager of the German Rubber Industry Association (WdK) in Frankfurt am Main, according to our sister publication reifenpresse.de.
During the first week of March, Wastefront announced it has entered a strategic partnership with electric vehicle tyre-focused tyre brand Enso. The deal will see Enso incorporate Wastefront’s recycled carbon black (rCB) in its tyres from 2024. Wastefront will also provide UK-based Enso with a recycling outlet for its used tyres, as part of its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Global non-profit CDP, which runs the Supplier Engagement Leader, has once again named Bridgestone Corporation to this world leading environmental disclosure platform. This is the third consecutive year and fifth occasion overall that CDP has included Bridgestone on its the Supplier Engagement Leader with the highest ‘A’ rating in Supplier Engagement Rating.
The crisis currently unfolding in Ukraine is placing logistics and transportation in Europe under strain, and like many manufacturers, Michelin Group is facing “major” issues supplying its plants and delivering to customers. The company says it will work to “optimise operations and adapt flow management” by stopping production at some of its European plants for a few days in the coming weeks. Each site will decide specific duration and implementation.
In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the resultant sanctions against Russia, Tyres & Accessories asked the well-known automotive supplier and premium tyre manufacturer for its perspective on the situation. In response, an official statement from the Continental Tire Group Sector explained: “We are following the war against the Ukraine with great concern. Our thoughts are with the people affected and we hope that the combat operations end as quickly as possible.”
Nynas has halted the purchase of feedstock of Russian origin. Sales to customers in Russia and Belarus have also been stopped. According to the petrochemical company which supplies tyre industry, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and “its tragic consequences throughout the region” prompted Nynas to reconsider its supplies from Russia and also sales to the country.
At the end of 2021 Ukraine’s only domestic tyre manufacturer, Rosava, hailed the strength of its partnerships with neighbouring Belarussian tyre manufacturing materials suppliers. Rosava representatives said “Established partnerships are the most effective tool for achieving common goals. Thus, our partners are always welcome to visit our company.”
Jesse Klinkhamer, CEO of Vancouver, Canada-based Klean Industries Inc will be a featured speaker at the European Carbon Black Summit, which runs from 22 to 23 June in Frankfurt.
Bridgestone Corporation has commenced a joint programme with four other parties to develop chemical recycling technologies that can deliver high yields of isoprene from end-of-life tyres (ELTs). Earlier today it also announced the launch of a joint research and development project with one of these entities, Eneos Corporation, to extract raw materials from ELTs using pyrolysis with the aim of further using these materials to make new tyres.
In response to local government environmental protection measures in the Yangtze River region and with the aim of establishing “one of the most modern NBR plants in the world,” Arlanxeo and TSRC are relocating their joint venture synthetic rubber facility. The move to a new location will be accompanied by an increase in NBR capacity from 30,000 to 40,000 tons per annum, growth that will support local demands and reinforce global supply.
Nynas has settled payments to trade creditors with claims remaining, after receiving an initial payment of 100,000 Swedish krone each following the completion of Nynas’s company reorganisation in January 2021. According to a statement published by the speciality oil refiner and supplier on 19 January 2021, those actions are “in accordance with the composition agreement between all creditors and as decided by the District Court of Södertörn”.
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Enviro
Enso
Igorn; Pixabay
Nynas
Rosava
Florian Berger; Pixabay
Nynas