Circtec counting down to opening of tyre pyrolysis hub

UK recycler Circtec Group is building the world’s biggest tyre recycling plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.

The site will treat around 20 million spent tyres per year, which represents around 200 000 tonnes of material.

Construction started last summer and is scheduled to conclude this Autumn. Investment of over EUR 150 million has come from AP Moller Holding and the Dutch government. It will be able to handle 6% of ELTs generated in Europe.

The group’s flagship recycling plant will feature an automated robotic sorting and production line. It is the result of investments upwards of EUR 70 million. Contracts are in place to produce renewable fuel for the marine industry as well as naphtha for the petrochemical sector and recovered carbon black for the rubber and plastics industry.

Patented technology

Headquartered in London, Circtec currently runs two commercial demonstration plants in Poland and Germany handling 25 000 tonnes a year. These complement the fully automated Granuband recycling facility in Amsterdam, acquired in 2024, which has a processing capacity of 50 000 tonnes.

Cirtec produces sustainable drop-in fuels and circular chemicals as well as rubber granulate, moulded products and tyre chips. The group developed a patented multi-stage continuous fluidised pyrolysis technology in 2009 and has been fine-tuning it ever since. This allows the company to extract premium-quality carbon black to serve as feedstock for next generation tyres.

Additionally, Circtec provides full material output traceability, mapping the entire life cycle of each individual tyre.