Plant engineering firm Zeppelin Systems says it has been awarded the engineering contract for the construction of a second pyrolysis plant by Polish company ReOil. Construction is scheduled to start in February 2024. After completion of the gigantic plant, spanning 27 acres, ReOil will be able to recycle 60,000 tonnes/year of old tyres, it adds.
On the path to a sustainable future for plant engineering, Zeppelin launched the Zeppelin Sustainable Tire Alliance in March 2023 to cooperate with international partners on shaping the future of tyre production and tyre recycling in a more environmentally friendly manner.
One of the members of this technology alliance is ReOil, which built Europe’s largest pyrolysis plant for the recycling of old tyres in 2015. Since then, ReOil has recycled around 20,000 tonnes/year of old tyres.
ReOil, Europe’s largest pyrolysis plant operator, works in the field of raw material recycling. The company uses continuous pyrolysis to break down rubber from old tyres into substance such as gas, oil and recovered carbon black (rCB).
The recycled materials obtained are reused, for example, in the manufacture of textiles, new tyres, rubber components, plastics, steel or aviation fuel.
After commissioning in 2015 and initial test runs, ReOil has recycled around 70,000 tonnes of old tyres since 2020 to date. Since 2020, the plant has been operating in a process-stable and profitable manner, it claims.
With the construction of the new pyrolysis plant, the company will triple its annual recycling capacity to around 60,000 tonnes/year.
Zeppelin Systems already supplied the basic engineering for the new plant in 2019, and the company has now been rewarded with the completion contract. As the main responsible engineering partner, Zeppelin Systems delivers turnkey solutions all from one source: from plant technology to process engineering and final plant planning.
“A flagship project for Zeppelin Systems with a signalling effect. Only a few companies can implement such complex and extensive projects virtually anywhere in the world,” says Dr. Markus Vöge, CEO of Zeppelin Systems, adding: “The aim is to offer process solutions in the future that can be provided as part of license models. For example, the ELT pyrolysis plant as a turnkey product from Zeppelin Systems.”
Guido Veit, Vice President Sales, Plastic and Rubber at Zeppelin Systems, adds: “ReOil’s engineering contract is the first project as part of the Zeppelin Sustainable Tire Alliance. This makes us proud and demonstrates the strength of the alliance. In addition, we will continue to work hard to bring additional processes to technological maturity and strengthen the network in terms of the circular economy.”