Circtec opens “Europe’s largest” waste tire pyrolysis plant in Holland

Delfzijl, the Netherlands – Circtec has completed and inaugurated the first phase of its major end-of-life tire (ELT) pyrolysis plant at the Delfzijl chemical industry cluster, near Groningen in the northern Netherlands.

Officially inaugurated by King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, the first phase has the capacity to process 50 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of ELTs, said Circtec 29 Jan.

Through its pyrolysis and upgrading processes, Circtec will produce its proprietary sustainable marine fuel branded Hupa; circular naphtha for use as feedstock in plastics, polymers and chemicals; and “high-quality” recovered carbon black (rCB) for use in tire, rubber and plastics manufacturing.

The plant can also supply tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) as a sustainable feedstock to petrochemical plants and refineries.

Circtec said it intended to start construction of the second phase of the plant later this year, which will add new modules to expand the total recycling capacity to 200ktpa.

According to Circtec, the processing capacity of the Delfzijl plant will account for around 6% of Europe’s annual waste tire arisings.

Meanwhile, it said, over 50% of European tire arisings are currently burned in cement plants or exported to Asia for disposal.

Circtec has secured long-term offtake partnerships, including a deal with Birla Carbon which has contracted the output of rCB to be supplied to its “Continua” flagship sustainable carbon reinforcement product line.

“We will continue to build on this partnership, sharing our expertise and supporting our customers in advancing their sustainability goals while contributing to a more circular future,” said John Loudermilk, CEO of Birla Carbon, during the inauguration ceremony.

UK energy major BP has also contracted the output of Hupa, circular naphtha and TPO.

Investment funds Novo Holdings and AP Moller Holding previously announced the closing of a €150 million funding round to back Circtec in May 2024.

Circtec has previously disclosed plans to develop “several plant projects globally” over the next few years, both as direct owner-operator plants and as joint-venture licensing partnerships.