Plant for sustainable tyre recycling to be built

SUEZ has plans to build a tyre recycling plant using Pyrum’s patented pyrolysis technology which saves up to 72 per cent of CO2 emissions in the process when compared with current recycling methods.

Over the coming 12 months, the agreement with Pyrum Innovations will see SUEZ identify a location for the first plant and initiate the approval process with support from Pyrum. The planned plant will comprise three pyrolysis reactors with a recycling capacity of around 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres per year.

Around 50 million tyres are disposed of in the UK, currently 13.4 million of these are used as alternative fuel, with the remaining tyres shredded and ground into a new material called crumb which is used on sports pitches or playgrounds - the rest are sent for energy recovery or to landfill.

During the pyrolysis process, tyres are separated into their component raw materials – oil, carbon black, and pyrolysis gas. The carbon black is re-used in the manufacturing of new tyres, the oil is taken by BASF and recycled into new products and the Pyrolysis gas is used to power the plant.

Through the partnership with SUEZ, the Germany-based Pyrum Innovations AG is expanding its extensive and promising pipeline for developing pyrolysis plants across Europe.

In partnering with Pyrum, SUEZ is tapping into the UK’s recycling market for end-of-life tyres, where more than half of used tyres are currently not recycled.

SUEZ brings to the project its track record in providing resilient and innovative solutions for its customers’ waste, with its significant expertise and experience in delivering new infrastructure, from design through to operation. Elsewhere in the Group, SUEZ is innovating with pyrolysis technology in its water business, leading a research programme to evaluate the benefits of pyrolysis for treating sewage sludge to capture carbon.

Cardiff Council has received £900,000 for the next two years to roll out EV charging in the region and provide rapid charging infrastructure at Lamby Way depot for twelve electric Refuse Collection Vehicles, as part of Cardiff Council’s fleet of 78 Refuse Collection Vehicles.

Air quality in Leeds continues

Levels of air pollution in Leeds continue to decline and have not returned to prepandemic levels, new air quality data published by Leeds City Council shows.

Changing travel behaviours, a faster than average transition to plug-in vehicles, and major highways improvements are all likely to have contributed to the city’s healthier air.

Each of the city’s six designated Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) – neighbourhoods previously identified as being unlikely to meet clean air standards – are now compliant with national regulations and continue to improve.

As a result, Leeds City Council has announced that it plans to formally revoke five of the six AQMA designations this year. The council will keep the AQMA at Pool-in-Wharfedale under review for at least another year to be sure that recent improvements are permanent.

The plans to introduce charges in Leeds were ultimately discontinued after the majority of the city’s taxis, buses, coaches, HGVs, and private hire vehicles switched to less polluting models, leading to significant air quality improvements.

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