PYROLYSIS AND THE PART IT PLAYS IN GLOBAL WASTE ISSUES

How to tackle global waste issues is something that is featured in environmental news on a regular basis.

The legacy of a throw away society, it has become necessary to find new and alternative ways of recycling and recovering waste, particularly that which is hard to process.

Many countries across the globe have begun to explore ways in which hard to recycle waste can be processed and generate other revenue streams such as future fuels, renewable energy, and in our case, carbon char and tyre pyrolysis oil from our pyrolysis process for end-of-life tyres.

Developing technologies

As with any scientific process and development of technologies, it’s about getting the balance of vision and practicality correct.

Whilst pyrolysis is not a new process, it is emerging when it comes to developing technologies that use the process to recover waste materials.

With several projects taking place across the globe, and globally recognised businesses pressing ahead with ways to create future fuels and valuable commodities, pyrolysis will also help businesses on the road to net zero 2050 goals and support Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives.

In 2021, the UK’s recycling body, Let’s Recycle acknowledged the part that pyrolysis will play in tackling global waste issues and support the sustainable recycling of waste plastics.

Pyrolysis and end-of-life tyres

In a recent podcast and article in Tyre and Rubber Recycling, Editor Ewan Scott and Martin Von Wolfersdorff advocate of Recovered Carbon Black (rCB) debated the merits of pyrolysis and the positive impact it can, and will have, on end-of-life tyres.

Perhaps what is most important to take from the discussions surrounding this, is that there is much being done by tyre manufacturers and pyrolysis plant operators, such as us, to ensure this industry and twenty first century way of recovering ELTs is allowed to be the success that we all know it can.

By protecting and promoting the technologies and ensuring the feedstock of tyre crumb is made available by limiting tyre exports and maximising tyre shredding opportunities, the future of pyrolysis in the UK, and beyond, for ELTS, looks bright.

In turn, it shows how pyrolysis technology can be successful and that it can be utilised to recover and process other hard to recycle materials.

We’re so interested to see how this plays out in the next decade or so, as we journey towards net zero, and are very excited to be playing our part in this.

To find out more about Carlton Forest Renewables and its technology contact Warren Steele, Project Development Director - warren.steele@carltonforestgroup.com