King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has inaugurated Circtec’s pyrolysis plant for recycling end-of-life tires at the Delfzijl chemical industry cluster near Groningen. The opening follows the completion of construction and commissioning, after the investment was announced in May 2024.
The King officially launched the plant by loading waste tires into a CIFR pyrolysis reactor, a proprietary chemical recycling technology developed by Circtec that converts tire waste into high-value products.
Sophie Hermans, the Netherlands deputy prime minister and minister of Climate and Green Growth continued, “What we see here at Circtec is green growth at its best. Every year, 180,000 tonnes of used car tires — waste that used to be incinerated — will be given a second life as a high-quality raw material. That is circular economy on an industrial scale.”
Two phases
With Phase One operational, the Delfzijl plant can recycle 50,000 tonnes of waste tires per year. Using pyrolysis and upgrading processes, Circtec produces its proprietary sustainable marine fuel HUPA, circular naphtha for responsibly sourced plastics and chemicals, and high-quality recovered carbon black for use in tires, rubber and plastics manufacturing. The plant can also provide tire pyrolysis oil as a sustainable feedstock to petrochemical plants and refineries.
Circtec plans to begin construction of Phase two later this year, which will expand the plant’s capacity modularly to a total of 200,000 tonnes of waste tires per year. The Delfzijl plant represents the culmination of 15 years of technology and product development. Its processing capacity will account for around 6% of Europe’s annual waste tires, while over half of European waste tires are currently burned in cement plants or exported to Asia for environmentally harmful disposal.
An ISO-standard life cycle assessment of the Circtec plant investment shows it is expected to reduce GHG emissions by equivalent to circa 3% of the national emissions of the Netherlands’ chemical industry sector once the plant is at full scale.
Long-term agreements
Long-term offtake agreements have been secured for the plant’s entire output. Birla Carbon will receive the recovered carbon black (rCB) for its Continua decarbonization product line, and BP has contracted the HUPA, circular naphtha and tire pyrolysis oil.
Allen Timpany, CEO and co-founder of Circtec, said, “Circtec now moves forward to operate the first phase of this plant and to expand it to its full designed and permitted size. Let us work together to scale this success further. So that this plant may inspire others, here in the Netherlands and far beyond, to rethink waste, reimagine value and to keep moving forward, tenaciously, innovatively and with strategic vision toward a sustainable and resilient industrial future”.
John Loudermilk, CEO of Birla Carbon commented, “The Birla Carbon/Circtec partnership has grown over the last few years, and the opening of this facility will support the availability of Continua Sustainable Carbonaceous Material (SCM) across Europe and markets around the world.” He added, “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.”
Corné Boot, head of country BP Netherlands, concluded, “This is a great example of companies and governments working together delivering green growth. By partnering with Circtec, BP can help scale advanced circular feedstocks and biofuels, creating real impact for industry and transportation in the Netherlands and beyond.”
In related news, Nokian Tyres unveils concept tire using performance-enhancing birch bark material
