Tire recycling system provided for state-of-the-art pyrolysis operation in Europe

CM Tire Recycling Equipment (a division of Columbus McKinnon Corporation) recently supplied a complete turnkey installation – a CM Zero Waste TRR system for one of the most state-of-the-art pyrolysis operations in Europe. The CM Zero Waste TRR system is capable of producing 25 mm wire-free rubber that will be used as feedstock for the pyrolysis system’s reactor. CM says they were chosen to supply this system due to its capability for processing passenger car and truck tires to >25 mm wire-free rubber, along with clean steel, to a purity level of >96 percent.

According to CM Tire Recycling GM Charles Astafan, they have seen a substantial increase in global inquiries regarding application of CM tire recycling systems in the pyrolysis and gasification market. “There are numerous pyrolysis and gasification systems available on the market today from all corners of the world and the technology can vary substantially,” says Astafan. “Therefore, the feedstock required for each plant can vary as well. Some systems can accept a mix of passenger car and truck tires while others only accept passenger tires, due to the different materials used to produce these types of tires. Some reactors can accept larger chips with wire in them while others require that the wire be removed and that the particle size is more defined.

“With our wide array of equipment specifically designed for tire recycling, CM has the capability to provide systems that satisfy a wide variety of requirements for this market. We supply systems that produce qualified chips of 50 mm and 25 mm, with steel in them, as well as systems that produce steel-free rubber chips.”

The CM Zero Waste TRR system consists of four major components. For the recently installed pyrolysis application in Europe, a CM Primary Shredder and External Classifier are used for processing whole passenger car and truck tires to 150-mm chips. These chips are then fed to a CM 4R Rotor Liberator which liberates the wire fraction from the rubber while also sizing the rubber. Liberated materials are then processed by a CM Zero Waste wire cleaning system that efficiently separates the rubber and steel fractions. Finally, an air handling system is being used to capture nylon material that is separated during the process. It is also used to remove excess nylon fibre from the wire. The wire-free rubber is being fed directly to silos where it is stored prior to being fed into the pyrolysis operation’s reactors. As a result of its high purity level, wire from the process is being sold to the steel industry.