Recycling company Big Atom has announced that it has received a £350,000 (US$470,000) grant from Innovate UK to aid in revolutionizing the tire recycling process.
With the second largest tire recycling plant in the Northwest of England, the company is to use the grant for the development of patented chemical reactor technology, used to convert old waste tires into new materials.
Specifically, it will enable the business to develop the concept of a novel pyrolysis reactor with improved temperature control and efficiencies to create an even more sustainable regeneration process for polymers.
“We already recycle tires and have just processed our one millionth, but this Innovate UK grant will accelerate our tech development and bring us closer to create circular economy for polymers – thus ending the concept of polymer waste,” commented Alexander Guslisty, founder, Big Atom.
“It is a huge breakthrough and will open up new opportunities that will accelerate our IP and pathway to commercialization. What’s more, the process will be good for the environment and support our ultimate goal of bringing an end to waste materials.”
The company shreds and granulates tires which are then used as feedstock for the pyrolysis reactor. Subsequently these are converted into reusable forms of oil, gas and recovered carbon black.
“We will be able to generate higher yields of valuable products compared to existing reactors and ultimately, we’ll be able to produce a more stable and desirable product for refineries to use as their feed,” said Guslisty.
“There continues to be a problem with waste traveling thousands of miles on ships which we don’t have control over. This grant puts us a step closer to solving this problem through our closed-loop recycling process.”
