The pyrolysis oil was processed into raw material for chemicals and plastics at the Neste refinery in Porvoo, Finland.

As part of its efforts to further develop chemical recycling, Neste says it has successfully carried out the first processing trial with a new feedstock, liquefied waste tyres. In the process, Neste produced a high-quality raw material for new plastics and chemicals, according to the company. The pyrolysis oil was supplied by the Swedish supplier Scandinavian Enviro Systems, according to Neste. The successful processing trial confirmed the suitability of chemical recycling for processing waste beyond plastics. The aim of the Neste pilot project was to evaluate the potential of chemical recycling beyond plastic waste. Thereby the pool of waste streams from which high-quality products can be manufactured was to be expanded. As with plastic waste that is difficult to recycle, a large proportion of used tyres end up in landfill or are incinerated, according to Neste. ‘As used tyres currently often suffer a similar fate to plastic waste, we see chemical recycling as a useful addition to turn the linear life cycle of tyres into a closed loop. Thanks to our supplier Enviro Systems, we were able to prove this with our latest processing cycle,’ explains Andreas Teir, who is responsible for raw material procurement for chemical recycling at Neste.
 
Sources:

• Press release Neste (22.4.2024)
• Photo: © Neste