Study Reveals Recovered Carbon Black can Reduce Tire CO₂ Production

The IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute recently carried out a study which revealed that recovered carbon black offers immense scope to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide associated with tire production. The Institute carried out a lifecycle analysis (LCA) of Enviro’s recovered carbon black (RCB), and the other materials like oil, steel and gas which are extracted through its pyrolysis process.
The study was conducted with the goal of getting an idea of the market for these materials and their effect on the environment. The results of the study indicated that for 1kg of recovered carbon black that is used to replace virgin carbon black, the total emissions are reduced by 1.43-2kg of carbondioxide.

Using recovered carbon black will provide industries like the tire industry, rubber industry and the plastic industry with immense potential to reduce their carbon footprint by using a recyclable material. The use of other recycled materials like oil, steel and gas can make a further impact in terms of reducing the greenhouse emissions of these industries.
One of the indexes that is used is the Global Warming Potential (GWP), which is used to compare the greenhouse effect for greenhouse gases at a joint scale to the greenhouse effect for carbon dioxide.
The study found that if the 9,000 metric tons of recovered carbon black that one of Enviro’s plants produces in a year is used as a substitute for virgin carbon black, it would reduce the emission of greenhouse emissions by 12,900-18,000 tons. This is the equivalent of the emissions produced by 40,000 direct flights from Stockholm to New York. When the decrease in emissions due to use of other recovered materials like steel, oil and gas is taken into account, the use of recovered materials will have even greater impact environmentally.

Regulations across the globe regarding toxic emissions and sustainability have become more stringent and thus the tire industry is showing greater interest in the use of Enviro’s RCB and other recycled materials (oil, steel and gas). It is expected that the carbon black market will grow by about 8.8 percent on an annual basis in the coming years, and the demand for Enviro’s recycled materials will increase accordingly.

These two factors have caused Enviro to change its business model, and it now permits partial ownership of future plant facilities, so that the company can leverage its leading position in the market.