South Korean recycler LD Carbon says it has officially opened the country’s first and largest end-of-life tyre (ELT) resource circulation plant in Dangjin Hapdeok General Industrial Complex. The plant will boost the country’s sustainable materials infrastructure and offers a scalable model for tyre recycling in Asia.
Covering 29,800 sq m, the Dangjin plant features two factory buildings and five silos. It is designed to process up to 50,000 tonnes/year of waste tyres, positioning it as South Korea’s largest tyre pyrolysis facility and one of the largest across Asia. From this input, the plant can produce approximately 20,000 tonnes of recovered carbon black (rCB), branded as Green Carbon Black, and around 24,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil each year.
LD Carbon says it employs a two-stage pyrolysis process. In the primary phase, tyre chips are thermally decomposed into oil and char. The secondary phase refines the char into high-grade rCB, which can be used in the manufacture of new tyres, effectively closing the material loop. The plant achieves an impressive 98% recycling rate for ELTs.
Automation also plays a central role: 99.9% of operational processes are monitored and controlled from a central control room, allowing 24-hour continuous operation with minimal manual intervention.
?By replacing conventional carbon black, LD Carbon’s rCB can help reduce carbon emissions by up to 32,000 tonnes/year, the company adds. The recovered materials hold ISCC PLUS certification, enhancing their appeal to domestic and international tyre manufacturers committed to sustainability goals.
Additionally, LD Carbon has secured a ten-year agreement with SK Incheon Petrochem for the supply of pyrolysis oil, integrating its operations into the wider petrochemical supply chain.
LD Carbon adds it is planning further investments, including the establishment of overseas production facilities. These expansions will strengthen the company’s ability to serve the global tyre and rubber industries.