Birla in link-up for large-scale pyrolysis of scrap-tires materials

Mumbai, India – Birla Carbon and UK pyrolysis technology company Circtec have entered a long-term agreement for the supply of “sustainable carbonaceous materials” for applications in mechanical rubber goods and the tire industry.

Marketed under the brand Continua, the material will be manufactured from waste tires, using Cirtec’s proprietary production process, Birla announced 25 May.

Under the partnership deal, Circtec is setting up a flagship production plant in the Netherlands, which will be “the largest, most sustainable and most efficient pyrolysis plant in Europe.”

Scheduled for production by the end of 2022, the plant will produce 73 kilotonnes of the material over the next five years, recycling “millions of tires through the pyrolysis process.”

In addition to the carbonaceous materials, the plant will also manufacture renewable fuels from the pyrolysis of end-of-life tires.

“This partnership with Circtec is a big step towards product circularity in our value chain and bringing our customers’ sustainability aspirations closer to reality,” said Dr Santrupt Misra, Birla Carbon CEO.

Through the collaboration, he said, Birla Carbon will become “the largest supplier of sustainable carbonaceous materials in the world”, combining technology and customised solutions for its customers.

According to Brila, a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Circtec’s process has demonstrated that, at full capacity, 228 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of direct and indirect CO2 emissions will be eliminated compared to the conventional carbon black process.