LIFE project aims to revolutionise Europe’s approach to recycling end-of-life tyres

The statistics are staggering - tyres and other auto components account for three-quarters of all rubber demand in the EU. Sixty-five per cent of end-of-life-tyres (ELTs) end up in landfill and 17.5 per cent go for incineration. The Italian project LIFE GREEN VULCAN aims to revolutionise tyre recycling and reuse with its innovative and environmentally-friendly rubber de-vulcanisation process.

This selective rubber devulcanisation process has enormous potential for extracting raw materials from ELTs. It can then replace almost all the virgin rubber -  even in high performance applications - making the products significantly more sustainable.  

It’s a highly complex process – but one which has a low environmental impact, eliminates the use of harmful chemicals, uses sustainable materials and reduces both post-production and post-consumption ELT.   

The resulting tyre waste is turned into compounds which are used to manufacture new tyre treads and spring pads for cars and light trucks. The project predicts an astonishing increase of 100 to 400 per cent in current recycle and reuse rates, with potential reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 15 per cent for spring pads and seven per cent for tyre treads.   

“Our expectations met reality,” says Francesco Di Pierro, a business developer at project coordinator Innovando. “Together with our product partners, we’re taking a strategic approach to supplying high-quality sustainable rubber for the automotive and tyre industries. This project shows we’re serious about reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and moving to the circular management of production waste and supply.”   

LIFE GREEN VULCAN brings together players from the automotive, tyre and recycling sectors as well as experts from the University of Trento. “As a result of LIFE GREEN VULCAN, I’m expecting new approaches to design fantastic new rubber-based materials,” enthuses Nicola Pugno, Professor of Solids and Structural Mechanics at the university.   

Although LIFE GREEN VULCAN officially winds up at the end of February 2024, the project has already shown the European tyre industry the potential for reprocessing 200,000 to 400,000 tonnes each year of ELT granules.   

“The world is facing major challenges like the climate emergency, nature loss and growing inequalities,” adds Mauro Patelli, Project Manager at Bridgestone, GREEN VULCAN consortium partner. “We need to have easier, safer and more sustainable mobility than ever before. We’re investing a lot of money to identify potential alternatives to natural rubber, and we want to accelerate the collection of ELTs and introduce innovative and effective different recycling technologies.” 

LIFE GREEN VULCAN contributes to achieving a number of EU policies including the Waste Framework Directive and End-of-life Vehicles Directive; EU rules on transporting waste; and the Circular Economy action plan.