Wastefront and Hulteberg receive 2M euros for oil purification project

Wastefront, a Norwegian-based waste tire recycling company, in collaboration with Sweden-based Hulteberg Chemistry & Engineering, has been awarded a 2.076 million euro ($2,048,596.80) grant from Eureka Eurostars, a funding program for business collaborations, and the Norwegian Research Council and the Swedish Innovation Agency. The total project funding amounts to 1.038 million ($1,024,506) euros from Eurostars and 1.038 million euros from project partners.   

According to a news release from Wastefront, the grant will fund an oil purification project called Hyfuel, dedicated to developing a novel catalyst approach to purify pyrolysis oil extracted from end-of-life tires (ELTs). The Hyfuel process enables Wastefront to increase the excellent value of its existing biofuel offering to its commercial customers by optimizing some of the characteristics of tire-derived oil (TDO) when transformed into renewable fuels for several applications.  

“The purification of pyrolysis oil is a critical next step for our industry as we strive to implement greener, more efficient ways to utilize end-of-life-tires, which too often still end up in landfills or being burnt in cement kilns,” says Henrik Selstam, chief technology officer of Wastefront. “Groundbreaking projects like this, underpinned by collaboration, innovation and intent at their core, are undoubtedly the key to realizing the net-zero transition at the pace the future of our planet requires.”   

Wastefront says the pretreatment of pyrolysis feed and upgrading of TDO means that Hyfuel’s tire pyrolysis oil can be used as a substitution for diesel fuel without the need for further refining. Additionally, Wastefront’s Hyfuel process does not require high temperatures for operation, representing lower energy consumption, lower carbon emissions and a much better alternative for the environment.  

“We’re confident our collaboration can pave the way for even more advanced processes for the utilization of ELTs, and present a significant opportunity to preserve our planet’s natural resources with a renewed emphasis on circularity,” says Christian Hulteberg, founder and managing director of Hulteberg.   

Wastefront recently announced a partnership with Newcastle University for an 18-month study into how to improve the production of recovered carbon black. This will focus on developing methods to reduce inorganic components in recovered carbon black, understanding how different solvents, which have varying degrees of dispersion interact and developing methods to understand the nature of the surface within the recovered carbon black material.   

The company uses pyrolytic reactors that use pyrolysis to break down a tire’s materials at elevated temperatures. By sending tires through these reactors, recovered carbon black (rCB) is produced, in addition to combustible gas, liquid hydrocarbon and heat. The carbon black is then washed and milled to upgrade the chemical properties and used as a reinforcement for natural rubber in tire production, mechanical rubber goods or as a filler for plastics.   

Once fully operational in 2025, Wastefront’s 100 million euro ($98,750,000) tire recycling plant in Sunderland will produce rCB from a supply of 20 percent of the U.K.’s yearly total of ELTs. By integrating Wastefront’s rCB into new tires, the emissions for each tire produced will be reduced by 80 percent.