2G BioPOWER, in partnership with Optimus Services Ltd (OSL), has secured £200k from Innovate UK towards a feasibility study into the large-scale deployment of Enviro’s tyre recovery technology for end-of-life tyres in the UK. The objectives include investigating the potential uses of the oil and carbon black that can be recovered from tyres.
Every year the UK generates approximately 450,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres, of which 400,000 tonnes are ground down to granulate or exported to countries such as India where they are mainly transformed into low-value oil with significant negative health and environmental impacts. Moreover, as the tyres are regarded as waste, exports are costly and transportation itself also affects the environment. Large scale domestic reprocessing of tyres will reduce (and potentially eliminate) UK tyre exports, improve the UK’s balance of payments, provide employment in the UK and also reduce UK GHG emissions, particularly in transport.
A key focus of the study is the potential to recover and refine the natural rubber-based, renewable oil from the tyres. Roughly 50% of a vehicle tyre can be converted into tyre pyrolysis oil, a significant portion of which comes from natural rubber, that can be refined or used to replace fossil fuel-based oil in several different applications, including the production of partially-renewable transport fuel.
The study includes investigating the supply of end-of-life tyres, including logistics; reporting on the outcome of pyrolysis oil testing; quantifying the market for carbon black in the tyre industry and producing a capital investment appraisal for large-scale use of Enviro’s technology in the UK. The study is planned to complete in Q2 2021.
2G BioPOWER which leads the study, has represented Scandinavian Enviro Systems in the UK since 2015.
Optimus Services Ltd (OSL) are innovative consulting engineers working collaboratively with the energy and related sectors in the UK and internationally (https://oslconsulting.com/) .
The project is being closely supported by Scandinavian Enviro Systems (https://www.envirosystems.se/en/news/feasibility-study-investigates-conditions-for-tyre-recovery-with-enviros-technology-in-the-uk/)