Recycling used tires: the complete guide to a circular economy

Used tire recycling transforms waste rubber into reusable materials through mechanical and thermal processes. According to European data in 2024, 42% of used tires are processed by material recycling, 30% by thermal pyrolysis and 18% by retreading. This process reduces the need for virgin raw materials by 281TPTP3T and eliminates 3.5 million tons of waste annually at European level.

What are used tires and why should they be recycled?

Used tires are tires that have reached the end of their life cycle. According to Government Decision 170/2004, this includes all types of tires that can no longer be used for their original purpose.

Environmental Impact

Abandoned tires create multiple environmental problems:

• Not biodegradable - persist in nature for hundreds of years
• Takes up a lot of space in landfills
• Fire risk - hard to control and toxic
• Pest reproduction - affects public health
• Microplastic pollution - major global source

Volumes Generated

According to the European Association of Tire and Rubber Manufacturers, Europe generates 3.5 million tons of used tires annually. In Romania, this amounts to around 80,000 tons a year.

How does the tire recycling process work?

Tyre recycling follows several recovery routes, organized hierarchically according to the circular economy principle. The tire recycling process starts with collection and sorting from sources such as car services, tire shops or authorized collection centers. The tires are then inspected and cleaned to remove impurities, and those that cannot be retreaded are directed for full recycling.

Follow mechanical shredding, where tires are cut into 50-100 mm pieces, then granulators reduce these pieces to fine rubber granules between 1 and 4 mm in size. At this stage, magnetic separators extract the steel wire and the textile fibers are removed, resulting in clean rubber granules, which are then used in asphalt, sports surfaces or rubber products.

For further recovery, part of the shredded tires may be processed by pyrolysis, where, at high temperatures and in the absence of oxygen, the rubber decomposes into pyrolysis oil, carbon black and fuel gas. These products can be used as industrial fuels or raw materials for new industrial processes.

Refurbishment and Reconditioning (18%)

• Extends lifetime with 3mm additional profile
• Use undamaged casing
• Reduce energy production and virgin resources

Material Recycling (42%)

The mechanical process turns tires into reusable materials:

• Removal of metal components - steel wire
• Mechanical shredding - 50-100mm pieces
• Granulation - 0.4-8mm particles
• Separating materials - rubber, steel, fibers

Thermal Recycling by Pyrolysis (30%)

Thermal decomposition process at 400-600°C without oxygen:

• Reactor feed - shredded tires
• Controlled heating - molecular decomposition
• Product collection - oil, gas, carbon black, steel

What are the economic and environmental benefits?

Economic Benefits

The tire recycling industry generates a market of € 2.09 billion annually in Europe. The highest value sectors are:

• New tires - €800m from recycled carbon black
• Ink and plastics - €300 million
• Sports surfaces - €250 million

Environmental Benefits

According to European studies in 2024, tire recycling brings the following benefits:

• Reducing CO₂ emissions - 1.2 million tons annually in Europe
• Energy savings - 3,500 GWh compared to primary production
• Conservation of resources - 28% raw materials saved

What products are made from recycled tires?

Rubber Granule

Rubber granules are the most important product of mechanical recycling with multiple applications in different manufacturing sectors:

• Modified asphalt - improves road durability
• Sports surfaces - football pitches and running tracks in tartan carpet
• Playgrounds - safe surface for children in tartan tiles
• Building materials - insulation and drainage

Recycling black smoke from burning rubber

The BlackCycle project, led by Michelin and funded by the EU, has demonstrated the recycling of black smoke from burning rubber in a sustainable way from tire pyrolysis. Continental uses the black smoke recovered from the combustion process for the production of new tires, achieving a sustainability rate of 58%.

Pyrolysis Oil

• Direct industrial fuel - glass, steel, cement factories
• Non-standard diesel - after distillation
• Fuel for generators - electricity generation

Steel wire from used tires

• Direct sales - €150 million annual market
• Steel industry - materials for new steel

When and where to return used tires?

• According to Romanian legislation, the minimum legal depth for tires is 1.6mm. For optimal safety, experts recommend replacing at 3mm.
• Any commercial establishment - obliged to take back used tires
• Car services - whether they were bought from them
• Vulcanizations - take over without conditions
• Collection centers - on Recycling map
• The cost of recycling is included in the recycling fee added to the price of new tires. The fee varies depending on the type of tire.

Modern technologies and innovations in tire recycling

BlackCycle is Europe's most advanced tire recycling project. The consortium of 12 partners from 5 countries has developed:

• Sustainable black sustainable smoke from burning tires - produced on a scale of tons
• Bus tires - with 58% sustainable materials
• Complete value chain - from collection to end product

Continental has developed ContiReRe.Tex technology that uses polyester fibers from 40 recycled PET bottles per set of tires. The technology eliminates intermediate chemical processes and is considerably more efficient.

Continuous pyrolysis installations

The new BLL-30 plants can process 10,000 tons of tires annually with:

• Non-stop operation - 30 continuous days
• Lower consumption - 55% less fuel
• Reduced emissions - 50% less exhaust gases

Recycling used tires is a basic component of the modern circular economy. By combining mechanical and thermal processes, they are transformed from problematic waste into valuable resources.

Success depends on manufacturers, authorities and consumers working together to develop a comprehensive collection and processing infrastructure. Current technological innovations, such as the BlackCycle project and advanced pyrolysis technology, demonstrate that the goal of sustainable 100% tires is achievable by 2050.