The Government of the western Indian state of Gujarat, through the State PCB, has officially allowed the establishment of continuous pyrolysis plants for tyre recycling in the state
These facilities will be permitted to produce tyre pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black.
Tyre Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) units have known to have been associated with significant environmental and public health concerns. Consequently, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has thus far not permitted the establishment or operation of such industries within the State of Gujarat.
“This approval comes after almost 13 years of a blanket ban imposed by GPCB on this process, making it a landmark moment for the industry,” informed Chetan Joshi, President, Tyre and Rubber Recyclers Association of India (TRRAI).
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), published Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) dated 16th January 2024 and has provided a detailed siting criteria, safety protocols, area requirements, environmental norms and monitoring mechanisms etc. for TPO (Tyre Pyrolysis Oil) units.
The guidelines acknowledge and distinguish between two primary technologies used for Tyre Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) production: the Advanced Batch Automated Process (ABAP) and the Continuous Process.
Although the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) permits the operation of both ABAP and continuous tyre pyrolysis plants, it is widely recognised that continuous pyrolysis plants offer significant advantages over ABAP systems. These advantages are particularly notable in terms of reduced pollution potential and enhanced operational safety, making the continuous process a more environmentally sustainable and safer alternative for TPO production.
“It’s a huge step forward for the organised, sustainable growth of our sector in Gujarat,” believes Joshi.
In order to develop an environmentally sound and sustainable policy framework, a committee of experts was constituted on 18th January 2025 aiming to ensure a comprehensive and well- informed policy formulation with Chetan Joshi, President, TRRAI as one of the experts.
Following thorough deliberations with the Expert Committee on in the middle of March, and after holding detailed consultations with experienced stakeholder from the industry on 25/03/2025, the following decisions have been arrived at. These decisions are made with due diligence and guided by the precautionary principle, to prioritise environmental protection and public safety.
“Importantly, the order specifies that only continuous plants with a minimum capacity of 60 TPD will be permitted. This clearly indicates that only projects with sizeable investment and serious long-term commitment will be considered. There will be strict monitoring and enforcement, including the mandatory implementation of CPCB’s SOPs, ensuring that all operations adhere to best practices in health, safety, and emissions — benchmarked against global standards.”
SOP guidelines
As stipulated in CPCB SOP, only continuous type Tyre Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) units with a capacity of more than 60 TPD shall be permitted to be established and operated. The site to be set-up in a minimum land area of 7,000 square meters.
The TPO produced shall be sold only to authorised oil manufacturing companies as being done for the Bio-diesel and pyrolysis of plastic waste.
The charcoal generated from the process shall be utilised either in co-processing in the cement industry or its quality be upgraded to Recovered Carbon Black (RCB) and it may be used as raw material for manufacturing of new tyre and other process or shall be disposed of at authorized TSDF site.
Each operational TPO shall undertake an annual third-party audit form a recognized environmental laboratory or institution.
This decision shall be reviewed after a period of two years from the date of issuance of this order, based on environmental performance, compliance status, and any new regulatory directions or technical advancement.
