Michelin will act as coordinator of a global European eco-project

The European consortium BlackCycle, coordinated by a French tire manufacturer, has been set up to develop “the world's first” recycling processes for old tires - in order to use the resulting materials to make new ones.

The BlackCycle project, officially launched in May 2020, includes 13 organizations, including 7 industrial partners, 5 research and development organizations, and an innovation cluster from five countries (France, Spain, Germany, Greece and Switzerland), according to Michelin.

A “unique” public-private partnership with a total budget of € 16 million will examine the technical, environmental and economic viability of cyclical production of environmentally friendly recycled materials (SRM) for new tires.

The raw materials produced through the new processes will be used to develop new series of tires for cars and trucks, which will be sold in the European and global markets. Michelin said in a statement.

The BlackCycle project will look at various aspects of waste tire collection and raw material selection, optimization of pyrolysis and other processes, and an assessment of the tire's eco-performance. The project is expected to allow “every second European used tire” to be used for new tires in five to six years, Michelin adds.

According to the French company, 1.6 billion new tires are sold worldwide every year, which is more than 26 million tons. The same amount is thrown away annually.

The BlackCycle project must create efficient solutions that will allow old tires to be used in new tires. In addition, it is planned that the project will reduce the volume of exports of used tires from the EU: at the moment, more than half of old tires are exported from the European Union to “distant countries”. Also, according to Michelin, the BlackCycle project will reduce the carbon footprint of tire production by 0.93 kg CO²/kg finished product.