Bridgestone Breaks Ground for Pilot Demonstration Plant for Precise Pyrolysis of End-of-Life Tires

Pilot Plant Will Advance Efforts Toward Social Implementation of Horizontal Tire Recycling

Bridgestone held a groundbreaking ceremony on October 21 for its new pilot demonstration plant for precise pyrolysis*1of end-of-life tires at its plant in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The ceremony brought together 32 participants, such as Seki City Mayor Kiyoshi Yamashita and representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as well as other stakeholders, who gathered to pray for the safety of the construction of the new plant.

Bridgestone, through its EVERTIRE INITIATIVE*2, is actively promoting the recycling business in collaboration with various partners, recognizing end-of-life tires as valuable “resources” and “renew” them into rubber and other raw materials. The company is targeting the early implementation of tire-to-tire horizontal recycling, and this new pilot plant will play an integral role in this initiative. At the pilot demonstration plant for precise pyrolysis of end-of-life tires, Bridgestone will conduct technology demonstrations to establish chemical recycling technologies that recover tire-derived oil and recovered carbon black from end-of-life tires through precise pyrolysis, enabling their reuse as raw materials for tires. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2027.

Source: Bridgestone