Pyrolyx starts building US carbon black plant

Munich, Germany –  Recovered carbon black (rCB) producer Pyrolyx AG, has stated construction of an rCB production plant in Terre Haute, Indiana, the German company has announced.

The plant will be “the most advanced of its kind”, producing about 12.9 tonnes/year of rCB from waste tires as well as pyrolysis oil and steel, said the company's 22 Aug release.

Zeppelin Group is carrying out the construction and overall project management at the Indiana site, which was chosen for its logistics and the support of the City of Terre Haute.

Once fully operational, the facility will employ 55 full-time staff and recycle around 4 million tires a year.

With the start-up, Pyrolyx said it will be then be the world’s first rCB producer with two “international” production sites.

The factory will save more than 30,000 tons of CO2 compared to traditional carbon black manufacturing, the company’s statement added.

The US plant underlines the group’s global expansion plans, according to Niels Raeder, CEO of Pyrolyx Group.

“The increase in its production capacity will uniquely allow Pyrolyx to meet the growing demand for recovered carbon black,” said Raeder.

“Even before construction begins, we have signed long-term purchase contracts for Pyrolyx rCB," he added. "As a result, we can look to the future with a great deal of optimism.”