Pyrum begins supplying rCB to Schwalbe bike tires

DILLINGEN, Germany—Waste tire pyrolysis company Pyrum Innovations A.G. has started series delivery of recovered carbon black (rCB) to Ralf Bohle GmbH, a manufacturer of the German bicycle tire brand Schwalbe.

The delivery will close the loop "completely" for Schwalbe, which collects used tires through its recently launched recycling system and supplies them to Pyrum for further processing, said the German recycler in a Nov. 28 statement.

Schwalbe, said Pyrum, is now starting the production of the first bicycle tire to use rCB completely.

The tire is to be presented at the bicycle trade fair Eurobike in Frankfurt next June and will then be launched commercially to be available in stores.

According to Pyrum, the rCB was delivered to Schwalbe as part of the commissioning of the company's pelletizer plant at its factory in Dillingen.

The pelletizer increases the transportability of the rCB and facilitates the further processing of the raw material, thereby increasing delivery volume "significantly."

In addition to the startup of the pelletizing plant, Pyrum said it expected to start operations of the currently under-construction production lines in Dillingen in the first half of 2023.

Pyrum broke ground on the two new lines in October last year and expects to triple waste tire processing capacity at the site from the existing 7,000 metric tons per year to 20,000.

As previously stated by Pyrum, the additional capacity will be supplied to commercial partners, which include BASF, Continental A.G. and Schwalbe.

Pyrum has developed a "100-percent energy self-sufficient" process to convert rubber granulate from end-of-life tires into pyrolysis oil, gas and rCB.

"One of our declared goals is to achieve a circular economy concept for recycling used tires," Pyrum CEO Pascal Klein said.

"Together with our partner, Ralf Bohle GmbH with its Schwalbe brand, we are now a big step closer to this goal in terms of bicycle tires," he added.