On the drawing table: turn-key plant for Chinese tyre recycler

Asia – ‘China is the world’s largest market for tyres, rubber, and carbon black, and there is great awareness that raw materials are limited’, says Thomas Sörensson, ceo of Enviro, a Swedish company specialised in tyre recycling technology. For the Chinese VanLead Group, Enviro will develop a new turn-key facility, construction of which is expected start before the end of this year.

The new plant will be built in Guangdong in the south of China and will have the capacity to handle some 30 000 tonnes of used tyres per year to supply Vanlead’s various production units across China.

The Chinese, state-owned Vanlead Group claims to be the country’s biggest tyre manufacturer and a major international tyre industry player. The company wants to take a frontrunner position when it comes to adopting modern tyre recycling technology. According to Sörensson, VanLead  wants to use Enviro’s reclaimed carbon black material in its tyre production ‘on a massive scale’.

VanLead and Enviro have also agreed on setting up a joint venture to market Enviro’s patented technology across China.

The VanLead Group’s activities span multiple business areas, where tyre production represents a strategic area both domestically and internationally. Enviro is an environmental company that offers recovery of tyres and processed materials primarily to the rubber industry. The company sells turn-key environmental facilities to industrial investors and also operate their own plant for end-of-service tyres in Åsensbruk, Sweden.