Michelin & Murfitts: Waste Tire Pyrolysis Plant

In 2025, Michelin has made frequent moves in its capacity layout, not only restructuring its existing capacity, but also actively reshaping its capacity composition, and continuously improving the "content" of sustainable development.

Recently, Michelin announced an important cooperation with British tire recycler Murfitts, and will invest 14 million pounds (about 138 million yuan) to build a waste tire pyrolysis plant in Stoke-on-Trent, UK. This news has attracted widespread attention in the tire industry and environmental protection field. ​

125,000-ton plant is about to start construction​

On June 30, 2025, British tire recycler Murfitts announced that it will add a tire pyrolysis unit to Michelin's plant in Stoke-on-Trent, UK. The unit will use Murfitts' independently developed technology to help Michelin pyrolyze waste tires. During the pyrolysis process, waste tires will be converted into recyclable carbon black and tire pyrolysis oil, thereby realizing the recycling of resources.​

It is understood that Michelin will supply Murfitts with 12,500 tons of scrap tires for recycling each year, which is roughly equivalent to 1.35 million car tires. Although the specific construction schedule of the plant depends on the planning approval process, it is expected to be officially put into operation by the end of 2026. ​

As one of the largest tire recycling companies in the UK, Murfitts is currently able to process up to 20 million scrap tires each year. The recycled materials it produces are widely used in sports field paving, modified asphalt production and other fields. It has accumulated rich experience and mature technology in the field of tire recycling. This cooperation with Michelin is a further expansion of its technology and market resources. ​

Technology supports recycling

The thermal cracking technology developed by Murfitts is the core of the entire project. Thermal cracking is a process in which high molecular polymers in waste tires are decomposed by high temperature in an oxygen-free or low-oxygen environment. In this process, waste tires will gradually decompose into gas, liquid and solid products. Among them, the gaseous products can be recycled as fuel gas after purification; the liquid products are mainly tire pyrolysis oil, which can be used as fuel in industrial production, or further refined and processed to extract valuable chemical raw materials; and the solid products are mainly carbon black and steel wire. ​

Murfitts' technical advantage lies in the ability to accurately control the temperature, time and other parameters of pyrolysis, so as to achieve efficient separation and high-quality recovery of products. For example, by accurately controlling the pyrolysis temperature, the purity and performance of carbon black can be improved, so that it can better meet the strict requirements of industries such as tire manufacturing for raw materials. ​

Multiple benefits of sustainable development ​

Michelin and Murfitts cooperate to build a waste tire pyrolysis plant, which has significant multiple benefits. From an environmental perspective, if a large number of waste tires are not properly handled, they will not only occupy a large amount of land resources, but also may cause pollution to soil, water sources, etc. The recycling of waste tires through pyrolysis technology can effectively reduce "black pollution" and reduce negative impacts on the environment.​

From an economic perspective, the recycled carbon black and tire pyrolysis oil have certain economic value and can bring additional benefits to the company. At the same time, using the steam generated on site to power Michelin's production will help reduce Michelin's energy procurement costs, improve energy efficiency, and enhance the company's competitiveness in the market. ​

From the perspective of industry development, this project has set a good example for the sustainable development of the tire industry. With increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements, tire companies are facing increasing pressure for sustainable development.

Michelin's move is expected to promote the entire tire industry to pay more attention to the recycling of waste tires, promote the research and development and application of related technologies, and accelerate the industry's transformation to a green and circular economy model.