Tag Archives: tyre recycling

Anglo American to recycle tyres, conveyor belts with Novum Energy’s help

Environmental, Mining consumables, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Anglo American says it is moving towards a sustainable “zero-waste future” at its five metallurgical coal operations in central Queensland, Australia, through a new collaboration with Novum Energy Australia that will see rubber waste products transformed into useable raw materials.

Used mining truck tyres and conveyor belts from the mine sites will be supplied to Novum, who will convert the rubber into industrial products including heavy and light oils, carbon black, syngas and steel.

Today, the Assistant Minister for Local Government, Nikki Boyd, and Banana Shire Mayor, Nev Ferrier, officially opened Biloela’s Raedon Street Industrial Estate where Novum will begin construction of its thermal recovery processing facility.

Anglo American Metallurgical Coal CEO, Tyler Mitchelson, said the partnership would create regional employment opportunities as Anglo American shifts towards pursuing circular economy initiatives.

“The new facility is located in the Banana Shire where our Dawson metallurgical coal mine is located,” Mitchelson said. “We have the opportunity to play a role in reshaping the economy towards a more sustainable path and contribute to creating new industries in the region.”

Novum Energy Australia Managing Director, Rowan Kendall, said the new plant at Biloela would be the first of its kind to be constructed in Australia and would employ up to 25 full-time employees once fully operational.

“Our partnership with Anglo American has enabled Novum to construct this industry-leading technology in regional Queensland which will be able to process up to 8,000 t of waste tyres and conveyor belts each year from 2022,” Kendall said.

“By applying a thermo vacuum technology, we aim to use the gas recovered from recycling the rubber to generate electricity to supply power to the processing plant and surplus electricity to electric vehicle charging stations to be built on-site.”

Anglo American says its Sustainable Mining Plan sets out ambitious targets to improve the sustainability of its operations across the world.

REVYRE recycling JV looks to tackle mining tyre problem in Australia, New Zealand

Environmental, Mining consumables, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

A new joint venture in Australia and New Zealand could see thousands of tonnes of large off-the-road (OTR) tyres used in the two country’s mining sectors recycled thanks to the use of two “revolutionary” technologies.

The Energy Estate and InfraCo partnership, REVYRE, has been established to develop and build innovative tyre recycling plants in Australia and New Zealand, using Vertech/RubberJet Valley tyre disintegration and Tyromer rubber devulcanisation.

Currently Australia disposes of over 60,000 t of end of life tyres (ELTs) by exporting them, with some 100,000 t stockpiled in landfills or stockpiled onsite (predominantly within the mining and agricultural sectors), according to the companies.

“With the COAG agreed ban on used tyre exportation from December 2021, the annual growth in Australia’s tyre stockpile will be even greater,” they said.

New Zealand, meanwhile, currently generates 5-6 million ELTs annually, which equates to close to 70,000 t of tyres. These units are either shredded locally for domestic burning in cement kilns as tyre derived fuel (TDF) or are baled and exported for use as TDF in Asia, according to the companies.

“REVYRE seeks to solve this waste problem through the rollout of its innovative combined recycling technology,” the Energy Estate and InfraCo said. “Its projects are modular, scalable and mobile – a total tyre recycling process that will destruct and re-purpose any constituent parts of a tyre, turning it into a high value polymer product for export and clean high tensile scrap steel. The overall process has near zero waste, emissions or by-products and does not use or produce toxic chemicals.”

The tyre derived polymer, or TDP, will be exported for direct re-use in the tyre manufacturing process, according to the companies.

The process uses no chemicals or solvents, is commercially viable on an industrial scale and is the only known environmentally friendly devulcansation technology, they claim. And, while REVYRE’s solution can address all tyre sizes, it is particularly suited to larger OTR tyres, such as those used in mining and agricultural operations in Australia and New Zealand, the companies said.

“REVYRE’s solution can play a critical part in sustainably managing current and future tyre stockpiles,” they said. “It is a financially attractive and environmentally superior solution relative to alternative tyre disposal options. The REVYRE solution will also support the development of a circular economy for ELTs.”

The plants will seek to procure renewable energy for operations as part of a dedication to maintaining a low carbon footprint and lessening the environmental impact of the tyre production cycle, the companies said.

“Energy Estate and InfraCo are committed to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and implementing the REVYRE solution will help achieve eight of the 17 SDGs,” they said. “Production of TDP will save approximately 94% of the energy required to produce the virgin compounds it replaces, as well as significant savings in oil used and avoided deforestation.”

Given the scale and locations of Australia’s mining industry, in particular, there is a sufficient tyre disposal requirement to justify at least two to three REVYRE plants in each of the mainland states, the companies said.

Luke Panchal, Director of Energy Estate, said: “Following the tyre export ban from 2021, Australia will have annually 160,000 t of tyres stockpiling that it needs to address. This means the need for environmentally and socially responsible and cost-effective solutions for managing used tyre disposal in Australia is critical – especially for heavy OTR tyres.

“To date, sustainable, environmentally responsible, economic and easy-to-implement recycling options have not been present in Australia. REVYRE delivers this option and is a solution that addresses tyre disposal in a truly circular process with no emissions and without the use of toxic chemicals. It is a solution that makes economic and environmental sense.”

Shaun Zukor, Director and Co-founder of InfraCo and REVYRE said: “We have developed a compelling New Zealand business case with our technology partners from Canada and Europe and we submitted a Provincial Growth Fund application with the New Zealand government in November 2019.

“Our plans are to start locally with our new partners and to expand into Africa and other territories thereby covering a large part of the globe where our presence will have major environmental, social and economic impacts.

“The technology allows a true circular economy and deals with a part of the mining tyre waste stream that has been extremely difficult to dispose of previously.”