Orion scaling up tire pyrolysis oil capabilities

Houston, Texas – The European Commission recently listed Orion SA on its ‘innovation radar’ for its development of a carbon black based on pyrolysis oil derived from end-of-life tires (ELTs).

The 'circular'  materials are now “market-ready” and offer a viable alternative to carbon black made from fossil oil, according to a 4 March press statement from Orion.

“Driving circularity is part of Orion’s long-term strategy,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said in the release, noting increasing customer demand for such products.

“We are scaling up our capabilities to process tire pyrolysis oil and have other innovations in our sustainability pipeline focused on cost-effective solutions,” Painter added.

Orion developed the circular carbon black as a partner in the EU-funded and Michellin-led BlackCycle project under the Horizon 2020 programme.

BlackCycle included seven industrial partners and five research and technology organisations, with a remit to design pioneering processes to make new tires from ELTs.

While the BlackCycle project has concluded, Orion said it is continuing other similar initiatives to reduce carbon footprint, improve yield and throughput, and lower material costs.

Last year, the company launched its 'clean carbon black research and development project', funded with a €6.4-million grant from the German government and EU.

The project is focused on developing a climate-neutral process for producing carbon black from alternative carbon sources, Orion explained.