The European research project BlackCycle has been honored with the Recircle Award in the category “Best Tyre Recycling Research Project”, for the year 2023. The Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), through the Chemical Processes & Energy Resources Institute (CPERI) palyed a crucial role for the implementation of the project. CPERI’s contribution to BLACKCYCLE is two-fold: optimization of the pyrolysis process of End-of-Life-Tires (ELTs) by applying novel catalytic pyrolysis concepts and upgrading of the pyrolytic oil via catalytic processes, such as hydrodesulphurization (HDS) and aromatization.
The Recircle Awards is a global event designed to recognize the contribution of companies and individuals in the tyre manufacturing, retreading and recycling sectors towards the circular economy (https://recircleawards.com/). The awards are organized by Valebridge Media Services, an innovative British communication agency, specializing in the automotive industry and operating as part of a broader publishing group dedicated to business-to-business publications in the tyre and automotive sector, including Retreading Business, Tyre & Rubber Recycling, Commercial Tyre Business, The Tyreman and Truck & Bus News.
This Recircle award is a great recognition of the results of the project, aiming to create a massive circular economy for tires. Indeed, thanks to the BlackCycle project, the first sustainable carbon black (s-CB) produced from end-of-life tyre pyrolysis oil was made at the scale of several tons. That s-CB technology has been successfully introduced in a Michelin bus tyre along with other materials to get a sustainable rate of 58% (https://blackcycle-project.eu/).
About the BlackCycle project:
BlackCycle is one of the R&D research and innovation projects funded by the European Commission under the EU’s Horizon 2020 (H2020) research program to implement the concept of circular economy to the end-of-life tyres at the European level. Officially launched in May 2020 and expected to be completed in June 2024. The BlackCycle project consortium is formed by 13 partners (7 industrial partners and 5 Research & Technological Organizations) from 5 different countries (France, Spain, Germany, Greece and Switzerland), in a unique European public-private partnership that will demonstrate the technical, environmental, and economic viability of world-first circular processes. The project is coordinated by the world’s leading tyre global manufacturer Michelin.
The BlackCycle project aims at creating, developing, and optimising a full value chain form ELT feedstock to Secondary Raw Materials (SRMs), with no waste of resources in any part of the chain and a specific attention for the environmental impact. These SRMs will be used to develop new ranges of passenger car and truck tyres, which will be sold commercially in European and global markets. As early as 5-6 years after the project, close to 1 out of every 2 European ELTs will be incorporated into the only virtuous cycle of this magnitude amongst all industrial sectors for the recovery of end-of-life products.
Greece participates in the project through the Laboratory of Environmental Fuels and Hydrocarbons of the Chemical Processes & Energy Resources Institute (CPERI) of CERTH, under the supervision of Mr. Angelos Lappas and Ms. Elli Heracleous.