A complex material Elastomers such as rubber are difficult materials to recycle because of their chemical structure.
The higher the selectivity of the devulcanization process, the better the mechanical properties of the material: research has shown that more than 65% of the weight of virgin natural rubber (NR) can be replaced by recycled rubber with devulcanized material. Efficient devulcanization technologies have the potential suitable for tire-to-tire recycling.
However, tires and automotive component applications, which account for about 75% of European rubber demand, make little or no use of reclaimed rubber raw materials .
Reclaimed rubber from end-of-life tires (ELT) and production waste are used at very low concentrations in tire production (3% -5%), due to technical constraints.
Consequently, despite the increase in the cost of raw materials and the environmental issues related to their consumption, the rate of recycling and reuse of rubber waste materials is still very low (12.8%, which drops to 1.5% by weight when considering the amount reused for the regeneration of high-value products such as tires).
Moreover, at European level, GRG production waste (amounting to around 9% by weight of total production) is mainly sent to landfills (65%) or disposed of by incineration (17.5%) with consequent energy recovery.
The other critical aspect of rubber recycling is that European natural rubber raw materials are entirely imported and their contribution to the recycling of raw materials required by Europe is below 1%. As a result. Even considering the significant economic impact of rubber products on the European economy (mainly through the mobility sector), natural rubber is included in the EU’s list of critical raw materials (EC, 3.9.2020, COM (2020) 474 final). In addition, in Europe, following the adoption on March 11 of the new Circular Economy Action Plan, part of the European Green Deal (11/12/2019), the EU is revisiting a number of product and waste directives in order to promote a circular production paradigm, encourage recycling and reuse, and the phasing out, where appropriate, of unnecessary use of virgin resources.Tires and automotive component applications, which account for about 75% of European rubber demand, make little or no use of reclaimed rubber raw materials.
A New MarketThe global market for regenerated rubber has been estimated to be around $2.39 billion in 2018. According to various sources, it is expected to reach $6.53 billion in 2027 with a 2019-2026 CAGR of 8.7% to 12.03%.
Some growth indicators promote the regulation of sustainable and eco-friendly materials as substitutes for conventional virgin rubber, increasing consumer awareness about eco-friendly materials with lower processing costs and better properties.
Manufacturers of car and cycle tires, footwear, and other manufacturers of molded rubber items. have, in turn, well understood the benefits of recycled and reclaimed rubber, compared to the volatility of natural rubber prices and growing environmental concerns due to the disposal of rubber waste into rivers. On the other hand, the emergence of innovative elastomer-based products, the challenges of supply chain integration, the weak position of SMEs in recycling compared to virgin material producers, the shredding processes to clean steel wire from rubber are highly complex factors limiting profit margin, and the lack of standards for automotive tire recycling are all hindering growth.
The growth of the remanufactured rubber market becomes particularly relevant when compared to the growth of the natural and synthetic rubber market (CAGR of 5%), demonstrating the trend to gradually replace natural and synthetic rubber with green and economical alternatives.The moves of the top players and the prospects of Rubber Conversion.In recent years, a growing interest in green solutions for the use of natural rubber has been demonstrated by rubber producers, chemical manufacturers and large market players (such as tire manufacturers). For example, Versalis, Eni’s chemical company that operates internationally in basic and intermediate chemicals, plastics, rubber and chemistry from renewable sources, announced a partnership with AGR last November 17 to develop technological innovations and design new products and applications in recycled rubber.
Lehigh Technologies, a specialist in high-tech micro powders derived from recycled tires, has been acquired by Michelin. This move demonstrates Michelin’s strategic determination to capitalize on its expertise in high-tech materials, in areas beyond tires. Michelin is developing innovative solutions today in order to integrate more and more recycled and renewable materials into its tires in the future.
In this context, Italian start-up RubberConversion has developed a proprietary devulcanization process that can substantially increase the rate of recycled rubber materials in compounds intended for high performance applications such as tires and tubes, industrializing the process. While enabling the high-performance application of recycled rubber, RubberConversion helps manufacturers reduce their waste by offering significant economic and environmental benefits.
The image shows the value chain of the rubber industry and the two business models of Rubber Conversion.
