Partners look to scale up tyre recycling

UK tyre recycler and reprocessor Murfitts is partnering with French engineering outfit ETIA to deliver commercial scale solutions for end-of-life tyres.

The announcement builds on shared work over recent years in which Murfitts has carried out trials with ETIA technology to show that recovered carbon black (rCB) exceeds the properties of the virgin materials. Murfitts intends to feed the rCB back into the manufacturing of new tyres. The chemical recycling process also recovers pyrolytic oil and syngas.

Murfitts was acquired by parent company European Tyre Enterprise in 2021 and collects end-of-life tyres from sister companies Kwik Fit and Stapleton’s, as well as other retailers, recovering and processing a total of around 20 million tyres annually.

Mark Murfitt, md of Murfitts Industries, called the partnership a major milestone in delivering a commercially viable materials recovery solution in the tyre sector. ‘Together we can bring together all the elements required, from reliable feedstock, through proven delivery of precise rCB specifications, to strong relationships with manufacturers,’ he said.

‘We can deliver a clean sustainable process which generates its own energy to recover valuable raw materials and make significant carbon savings compared to virgin sources.’

ETIA is part of Vow ASA and Vow ceo Henrik Badin said the new arrangement was ‘a unique British-French-Japanese-Norwegian partnership’.

‘We see a huge opportunity for Vow technology and our combined competence and capacity in a rapidly emerging market. We have agreed to come together to offer a truly sustainable method for handling post-consumer tyres and at the same time taking important steps towards decarbonising the tyre industry.’