Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BlackCycle (FOR THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF TYRE DOMAIN: RECYCLING END OF LIFE TYRES INTO SECONDARY RAW MATERIALS FOR TYRES AND OTHER PRODUCT APPLICATIONS)
Reporting period: 2021-11-01 to 2023-08-31
The BlackCycle project brings together 13 partners from 6 countries. BlackCycle has an upcycling ambition, targeting to create a circular economy of the end-of-life tyre (ELT) into technical applications like tyre industry by producing high technical second raw materials (SRMs) from ELTs. A key lever is to consider the circular economy of tyre domain: recycle ELT into new tyres. Known technologies in this domain are today limited and this new research project will have the ambition to pass their roadblocks, and deliver new technical raw materials relevant for tyre production or other technical products.
This project will proactively integrate these new materials (SRMs) and validate that the progress in all the key tyre performances having environmental impacts is not slowed down.
The BlackCycle project aims at creating, developing and optimising a full value chain, from ELT feedstock to SRMs, with no waste of resources in any part of the chain and a specific attention for the environmental impact.
To develop and optimize the full recycling value chain of ELT, the consortium is devlopping solutions aiming at:
- Developing a process for ELT selection and production of sustainable SRMs;
- Optimising the pyrolysis process for tyre manufacturing;
- Developing suitable technologies for the refining of the pyrolytic oil derived from ELT pyrolysis to produce refined oil for furnace process optimisation during s-CB production, and to produce spolylimonene and s-plasticisers;
- Optimising furnance process to new feedstock;
- Designing and validating performances of tyre made with SRMs.
This project will proactively integrate these new materials (SRMs) and validate that the progress in all the key tyre performances having environmental impacts is not slowed down.
The BlackCycle project aims at creating, developing and optimising a full value chain, from ELT feedstock to SRMs, with no waste of resources in any part of the chain and a specific attention for the environmental impact.
To develop and optimize the full recycling value chain of ELT, the consortium is devlopping solutions aiming at:
- Developing a process for ELT selection and production of sustainable SRMs;
- Optimising the pyrolysis process for tyre manufacturing;
- Developing suitable technologies for the refining of the pyrolytic oil derived from ELT pyrolysis to produce refined oil for furnace process optimisation during s-CB production, and to produce spolylimonene and s-plasticisers;
- Optimising furnance process to new feedstock;
- Designing and validating performances of tyre made with SRMs.
The BlackCycle project aims at creating, developing and optimising a full value chain, from ELT feedstock to SRMs (Secondary Raw Materials), with no waste of resources in any part of the chain and a specific attention for the environmental impact. To ensure the success of Blackcyle, the project has been shaped with a robust approach, aiming at ensuring a smooth transition for the scale up of the value chain.
During the first period of the project, one of the main objectives was to consolidate the proof of concepts and the optimization of the value chain in a laboratory environment. For the validation and scale up of the technologies developed by the project, the following tasks were finished during the second period:
• Tire deconstruction to deliver specific rubber feedstocks: demo-line tires deconstruction technologies have been designed. The two deconstruction machines have been erected and delivered.
• The pyrolysis : process optimization at TRL4 and TRL5 has been achieved and productions are in line with the target oil composition and characteristics. Successful scale-up at TRL7/9 for the two pyrolysis technologies of the optimized conditions to maximize the value of the produced SRMs has been achieved.
• Oil refining and valorization : distillation columns at TRL4, TRL5 and TRL7 have been implemented to produce the refined pyrolytic oil derived from ELT pyrolysis based on specifications and parameters defined for s-CB and s-Resins production. Dozens tons of samples were delivered for the production of s-CB. Samples of s-Resins have been produced and evaluated giving first promising in-rubber properties.
• s-CB production: trials at the TRL7 pilot plant confirmed the proof-of-concept of the BlackCycle value chain validated during the first period at the lab scale. Several grades of s-CB were produced, with performances equivalent to those of standard ASTM carbon blacks.
• s-Tire : First trials of tires made of s-CB validated equal performance than tires with standard ASTM carbon black.
To ensure positive life cycle and costs performances of the process and secondary raw materials developed by the consortium, partners carried out first technico-economic, health and safety and environmental assessments.
Works on standardization and harmonization of generated data have also been launched to register productions issued form BlackCycle into the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS).
Finally, Partners initiated a work on scenarios deployment taking into account stakeholders' needs and social acceptance.
During the first period of the project, one of the main objectives was to consolidate the proof of concepts and the optimization of the value chain in a laboratory environment. For the validation and scale up of the technologies developed by the project, the following tasks were finished during the second period:
• Tire deconstruction to deliver specific rubber feedstocks: demo-line tires deconstruction technologies have been designed. The two deconstruction machines have been erected and delivered.
• The pyrolysis : process optimization at TRL4 and TRL5 has been achieved and productions are in line with the target oil composition and characteristics. Successful scale-up at TRL7/9 for the two pyrolysis technologies of the optimized conditions to maximize the value of the produced SRMs has been achieved.
• Oil refining and valorization : distillation columns at TRL4, TRL5 and TRL7 have been implemented to produce the refined pyrolytic oil derived from ELT pyrolysis based on specifications and parameters defined for s-CB and s-Resins production. Dozens tons of samples were delivered for the production of s-CB. Samples of s-Resins have been produced and evaluated giving first promising in-rubber properties.
• s-CB production: trials at the TRL7 pilot plant confirmed the proof-of-concept of the BlackCycle value chain validated during the first period at the lab scale. Several grades of s-CB were produced, with performances equivalent to those of standard ASTM carbon blacks.
• s-Tire : First trials of tires made of s-CB validated equal performance than tires with standard ASTM carbon black.
To ensure positive life cycle and costs performances of the process and secondary raw materials developed by the consortium, partners carried out first technico-economic, health and safety and environmental assessments.
Works on standardization and harmonization of generated data have also been launched to register productions issued form BlackCycle into the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS).
Finally, Partners initiated a work on scenarios deployment taking into account stakeholders' needs and social acceptance.
At the end of the project partners expect to validate the overall process of sustainable SRMs production derived from ELT and the quality of the products (s-CB, s polylimonene and s plasticisers, tyre; etc.).
BlackCycle project will contribute to the implementation of a high-quality and competitive ELT management and transformation industry inside the EU, by:
- significantly reducing the need for the ELT exports and therefore contribute to the overall reduction in waste exports;
- offering a circular solution to ELT feedstock that is too high for their valorisation in EU cement factories (main treatment of ELT in EU);
- enabling the recycling industry, pyrolysis industry, CB industry and tyre industry actors (notably SMEs) to collaborate on making their industries complementary and more cooperative, competitive and sustainable;
- addressing the competitiveness from third countries with sustainable and cost-efficient solutions meeting climate change, increased global demand and depletion of natural resources challenges.
The enhanced performance of the tyre production value chain will have significant environmental and societal impacts, such as:
- Reduction of the consumers eco-tax improving purchasing power in the EU;
- Providing greener alternatives compared to imported tyres;
- Providing solutions that could be replicated to other sectors (like rubber sector for example);
- Reduction of the environmental footprint of the tyre production through the reduction of fossil resources;
- Reduction the fuel consumption for the transport of ELT from a continent to another.
The BlackCycle project will thus contribute to reach the EU policy objectives on Waste Management (legislation and 7th Environment Action Programme) by i) reducing the amount of waste generated; ii) maximising recycling and re-use; iii) limiting incineration to non-recyclable materials; iv) phasing out landfilling to non-recyclable and non-recoverable waste; v) promoting the implementation of the waste policy targets in all Member states
BlackCycle project will contribute to the implementation of a high-quality and competitive ELT management and transformation industry inside the EU, by:
- significantly reducing the need for the ELT exports and therefore contribute to the overall reduction in waste exports;
- offering a circular solution to ELT feedstock that is too high for their valorisation in EU cement factories (main treatment of ELT in EU);
- enabling the recycling industry, pyrolysis industry, CB industry and tyre industry actors (notably SMEs) to collaborate on making their industries complementary and more cooperative, competitive and sustainable;
- addressing the competitiveness from third countries with sustainable and cost-efficient solutions meeting climate change, increased global demand and depletion of natural resources challenges.
The enhanced performance of the tyre production value chain will have significant environmental and societal impacts, such as:
- Reduction of the consumers eco-tax improving purchasing power in the EU;
- Providing greener alternatives compared to imported tyres;
- Providing solutions that could be replicated to other sectors (like rubber sector for example);
- Reduction of the environmental footprint of the tyre production through the reduction of fossil resources;
- Reduction the fuel consumption for the transport of ELT from a continent to another.
The BlackCycle project will thus contribute to reach the EU policy objectives on Waste Management (legislation and 7th Environment Action Programme) by i) reducing the amount of waste generated; ii) maximising recycling and re-use; iii) limiting incineration to non-recyclable materials; iv) phasing out landfilling to non-recyclable and non-recoverable waste; v) promoting the implementation of the waste policy targets in all Member states