Orion investing in tire pyrolysis company Alpha Carbone

Houston, Texas – Orion SA is investing in French waste tire recycler Alpha Carbone to help the company scale up its tire pyrolysis technology and commercialise production.

The cooperation includes a long-term supply agreement, with Orion as the exclusive customer for the tire pyrolysis oil produced by Toulouse-based Alpha Carbone.

Orion intends to use the oil to manufacture “circular carbon black” for tire and rubber goods customers, according to its 13 May announcement.

The investment "enables Orion to make large-scale volumes of circular grades of carbon black for our rubber customers who are seeking sustainable solutions,” said CEO Corning Painter.

Alpha Carbone has developed a ‘vapo-thermolysis’ technology that recovers synthetic gas, recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oil from end-of-life tires (ELTs).

The company is currently scaling up production, with plans to start up its ELT pyrolysis plant in late 2025.

The €10-million facility is slated to have an input capacity of 16 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of shredded tires and to produce 5.6ktpa of ‘carbon load’ and 6ktpa of replacement fuel.