RISORCE has generated 1.2m Euro investment to create a new tyre recycling plant in the Belgian province of Liege
RISORCE will deploy a pyrolysis process that mainly produces oil as a byproduct from the tyres, which will be sold as a raw material to European petrochemical companies.
Bernard van den Wouwer, Founder & CEO of RISORCE started; “RISORCE meets a need for local solutions in Belgium for processing tyre waste, while at the same time being firmly committed to a circular economy approach.
“We are offering a locally-based solution that is both technologically and environmentally robust. A real innovation”.
The funding is raised from a group of investors that includes GREEN.er (Recytyre), Liege investment fund Noshaq, Wallonie Entreprendre and others.
With plans to accommodate six waste tyre processing units on the site, the project will process 18,000 tons of tyre granules annually, equivalent to 2,400,000 tyres per year.
The Benelux area is fast becoming a hub for tyre recycling, particularly though pyrolysis as companies vie for their share of the market – other players include CIRCTEC, Black Bear Carbon, and Pyrum to name but three, plus of course there are players such as Overpelt, VS Rubber, Rubber Resources and Tyromer all finding the central location ideal for reaching out to the end markets in the tyre and rubber industry.
Chris Lorquet, CEO of Recytyre, commented; “The traditional rubber recycling industry is at a turning point. It needs to reinvent itself. The future of material circularity lies in the chemical processing of tyre components. “ An oblique reference to the recently imposed ban on crumb rubber infill.
Lorquet continued; “The RISORCE pyrolysis project is a fine example of this. I am also very pleased that this initiative is based in Wallonia. The GREEN.er fund was created to support the development of such industries at a local level.”
