Mitsui in JV agreement for mining tire recycling

Tokyo – Japanese trading and investment company Mitsui & Co., Ltd has signed a basic agreement with Canadian tire distributor Kal Tire for the establishment of a  joint venture to recycle mining tires.

In a statement 13 Sept, the Tokyo-based company said the proposed business will recycle end-on-life mining tires using thermal conversion technology to produce recovered carbon black, oil, and steel.

As part of the deal, the two companies will collaborate to commercialise a recycling plant that is currently being operated by Kal Tire in Chile, aiming to start large-scale operation by the beginning of 2023.

Furthermore, Mitsui and Kal Tire plan to expand the mining tire recycling business globally with the aim to establish operations in mining regions such as North America, South America, Australia, and Africa.

Through this project, Mitsui said it aimed to contribute to environmental solutions and the realisation of a circular economy in the mining and tire industries.

Active in the mining business since the 1960s, Mitsui is a global trading and investment company with a business portfolio covering the mineral & metal resources, energy, machinery & infrastructure, and chemicals industries.

Based in Vernon, British Columbia, Kal Tire is an independent tire dealer and is claimed to be “one of North America's largest commercial tire dealers.”

Kal Tire's Mining Tire Group provides mining tire service and supply, operating on more than 150 mine sites across five continents.

The company owns and operates six OTR retreading facilities in Canada, the UK, West Africa, Chile and Mexico.