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Accelerate the social implementation of horizontal tire recycling.
Bridgestone has announced plans to construct a pilot demonstration plant for precise pyrolysis of end-of-life tires at its plant in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The plant will start operating in 2027 with an aim to realize horizontal recycling of tires.
Pyrolysis is a method of heating compounds in an oxygen-free environment to produce or reclaim the original materials of the compounds. In the precise pyrolysis of tires, by controlling detailed conditions such as temperature and time, end-of-life tires are heated in an oxygen-free state to efficiently produce high-quality oil (tire-derived oil) and carbon black. This process contributes to increased material circularity and reduction of CO2 emissions.
The facility will demonstrate the technology needed for establishing and optimizing precise pyrolysis of end-of-life tires, which involves obtaining tire-derived oil and recovered carbon black from end-of-life tires. In demonstrating this technology, Bridgestone aims to help accelerate the social implementation of chemical recycling technology. This project is part of the company's exploratory business for "Sowing New Seeds" in its Mid Term Business Plan (2024-2026) for sustainable growth in the future.
Since 2022, Bridgestone has been advancing its efforts in chemical recycling of end-of-life tires to help realize a circular economy. The oil is refined to produce chemical products, such as butadiene, a raw material of synthetic rubber. This creates the possibility of reusing and recycling the oil and the recovered carbon black as raw materials of tires.
