New technology to increase tire recycling rates through molecular breakdown

Each year, over 1 billion scrap tires are produced globally. Without expanded recycling options, many tires end up in large stockpiles, where they can become breeding grounds for insects and rodents that carry harmful diseases. 

That’s why tire manufacturers are focused on increasing recycling options for scrap tires as part of reducing their environmental footprint. Bridgestone–the second largest tire company in the world–is at the forefront of this by developing new, more efficient technology for recycling tires. The company plans to invest $134 million into research and development of a new chemical recycling process that will break down tires to their molecular level so that key materials, like isoprene (the natural substance from rubber tree sap), can be recovered and re-used.

In the United States alone, over 4 million tons of scrap tire waste is generated each year. Bridgestone estimates that their technology will allow the company to recycle about 100,000 tons of tires a year, creating a secondary life for a significant amount of tires produced annually. 

Separately, Tokyo-based materials manufacturer Zeonis is working with Japanese tire maker Yokohama Rubber to develop technology to recover raw materials from disposed tires. Presently, only 60% of butadiene, a synthetic material used in the production of tires, can be recovered. Zeon and Yokohama Rubber have plans to increase the recovery rate to 80%, enabling greater recycling of tires. 

Advancements from tire manufacturers like Bridgestone and Yokohama Rubber are promising indicators that using recycled tires to achieve a truly circular economy is closer than we think.