Tire Industry's Green Shift

Driven by global carbon neutrality goals, the tire industry is comprehensively advancing its sustainable transformation from raw material production to end-of-life recycling. The joint venture between German companies Pyrum and Unitank, and the carbon dioxide conversion technology development by Xintema, respectively overcome industry bottlenecks at the recycling and raw material ends, providing a valuable practical path for the development of a circular economy in the global tire industry.

Waste Tire Recycling Network: Large-Scale Deployment in Europe

As a typical non-biodegradable product, tires generate over 1 billion waste tires globally each year, making their recycling and disposal a key issue in environmental protection. The collaboration between German waste tire pyrolysis company Pyrum Innovations and Hamburg tank farm operator Unitank provides a large-scale solution to this challenge.

The two companies have jointly established a joint venture, UniPyrum, which plans to build 5 to 10 waste tire recycling plants in Europe over the next few years, headquartered in Hamburg, focusing on establishing a recycling network in Germany and surrounding countries.

The joint venture achieves complementary advantages in technology and resources. Pyrum provides patented pyrolysis technology, using an anaerobic pyrolysis process to convert waste tires into high-value raw materials such as oil, recycled carbon black, pyrolysis gas, and steel, reducing CO2 emissions by 72% compared to traditional recycling methods.

Unitank, leveraging its experience in energy infrastructure operation, is responsible for plant site selection, construction, and supply chain management. Each plant will be equipped with at least three pyrolysis reactors, with an annual processing capacity of no less than 22,000 tons of waste tires. Currently, the site in Emleben, Thuringia, Germany, has been selected as the first project site, and the approval process is about to begin.

These recycled products have formed a clear resource utilization path: pyrolysis oil has obtained EU REACH certification and is used by chemical companies such as BASF to produce automotive parts and outdoor clothing; recycled carbon black is supplied to tire manufacturers such as Schwab for new tire production; and pyrolysis gas can directly power the plant, achieving energy self-sufficiency. This closed-loop recycling model truly transforms waste tires into "urban mining."

Sustainable Materials Innovation: Carbon Dioxide Transformed into Tire Raw Materials

While recycling networks focus on "end-of-pipe treatment," Xintema's technological research directly addresses the challenge of "source reduction." The company received special funding to conduct research on converting carbon dioxide into high-value polymers and butadiene, fundamentally reducing tire materials' dependence on fossil resources. This technology aligns perfectly with the global tire industry's need for sustainable transformation and has significant industrial implications.

Butadiene is a core raw material for synthetic rubber, with 40% of global production used in tire manufacturing. Currently, 95% of it comes from petroleum refining byproducts, making its supply and price susceptible to fluctuations in the fossil fuel market. Xintema's research aims to overcome this resource dependence by converting carbon dioxide into butadiene through catalytic conversion technology. This not only helps reduce the tire industry's carbon footprint but also opens up new avenues for the resource utilization of carbon dioxide.

This innovation is not an isolated case and has already shaped the global technological competition landscape. Michelin's BioButterfly project has successfully validated the industrial feasibility of producing bio-based butadiene from bioethanol. The product has already been used to synthesize key tire materials such as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and technical certification is planned for mid-2026. Yokohama Rubber has also applied biomass-derived butadiene rubber to racing tires, completing track validation. Sintema's carbon dioxide conversion technology further enriches the sustainable butadiene preparation routes, providing more possibilities for the greening of tire materials.

Industry Transformation: Driven by Both Policy and Market

The sustainable transformation of the European tire industry benefits from the dual impetus of policy support and market demand. The EU's Circular Economy Action Plan explicitly lists waste tire recycling as a key area, guiding companies to increase investment through regulatory constraints and financial support.

At the same time, the EU's upcoming Euro 7 tire wear particulate emission limits and 6PPD usage restrictions are also prompting companies to accelerate environmental technology research and development and the application of sustainable materials.

From a market perspective, major global tire manufacturers have all set clear sustainability goals: Michelin plans to use 100% renewable or recyclable materials in its tires by 2050; Continental aims to increase the proportion of sustainable materials in its tires to 40% within the next five years.

The advancement of these goals has spurred huge demand for recycled raw materials and green monomers, providing a vast market space for Pyrum and Unitank's recycling networks and for Syntec's material innovations.

Pyrum and Unitank's large-scale recycling network, combined with Syntec's source material innovations, is gradually building a sustainable ecosystem for the tire industry in Europe, encompassing "recycling-regeneration-innovation."

This series of practices demonstrates that through technological innovation and cross-sector collaboration, the tire industry can achieve a win-win situation for both environmental and economic benefits, contributing important experience to the green transformation of globally polluting and energy-intensive industries.