Pyrum, Polyfuels partnering for 4 pyrolysis plants

DILLINGEN, Germany—There's something to be said about Pyrum Innovation A.G.'s end-of-life tire recycling expertise. And for the Dillingen-based firm, the proof is in the partnerships.

Pyrum and its partner Polyfuels Group A.B. have signed a letter of intent to jointly build and operate four pyrolysis plants across Northern Europe. The companies are targeting sites in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia.

Within the coming year, the two partners hope to finalize details for construction of those facilities.

Each of the four new plants will have three pyrolysis reactors, giving each facility a recycling capacity of around 20,000 metric tons of ELTs annually.

"After our successful IPO in Oslo, our cooperation with Polyfuels is a first important step for the development of the Nordic market," Pyrum CEO Pascal Klein said in a statement. "We are pleased to be working with an equally ambitious partner who—like us—has set itself the goal of striving for a circular economy in the field of waste recycling. The Scandinavian countries are pioneers in this respect and we want to contribute to achieving the demanding goals."

For its contribution, Pyrum is poised to support all phases of the pyrolysis plant project, from the planning and construction of the plants to the basic process design and possible distribution channels for the raw materials and products.

The company will invest in and receive compensation for its support in the planning process, according to the letter of intent.

According to Polyfuels, Pyrum's ELT expertise was a key factor in bringing the two companies together.

"After evaluating ELT technologies, we concluded that Pyrum has an optimal turnkey solution for ELT with a complete business model, not at least regarding offtake ELT oil with BASF," Polyfuels Group CEO Geir Langeland said in a statement. "We have already started pre-studies on four projects with partners and located concrete sites for the ELT plants in all countries."

Pyrum operates one recycling facility in Dillingen/Saar, and is in the process of adding to the facility's capabilities. The expansion project underway will add two production lines, bringing the number of manufacturing lines to three.

The Dillingen/Saar facility's new shredder is expected to come online by the end of February and the first commissioning work for the whole of the plant is expected for the end of the first quarter.