Tire recycler Green Distillation Technologies, has signed a deal with New Zealand’s CarbonScape to enhance the value of the carbon produced by its process, turning it into high value graphite.

GDT’s world-first tire recycling process turns end-of-life car, truck and oversize tires into high value oil, carbon and steel, while CarbonScape, based in Marlborough, New Zealand has developed patented technology turning sawdust and waste biomass into high purity, high value carbon products, including graphite.

The deal between the two companies solves a global problem as one and a half billion end of life tyres are generated every year. While CarbonScape’s work on sawdust continues, it has been discovered that the carbon produced by GDT’s tyre recycling technology is highly compatible with CarbonScape’s own process for producing graphite.

GDT Chief Operating Officer Trevor Bayley said that the key to operating a successful business in the era of the circular economy is to maximise the return they receive from the materials they produce.

“We have a contract with Southern Oil Refineries to supply their sister company, Northern Oil of Gladstone, with all our oil as it is regarded as light crude and easy to refine into petrol, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products and of course the current world price for oil is very high. Our carbon is high quality for use in a variety of products such as printer’s ink, computer cartridges and even cosmetics.

“But by enhancing it to graphite it could sell for multiples of the current price which is a very significant difference.

“Our Technical Director Denis Randall, who developed our process, has long advocated that Resource Recovery is the key to successful recycling and this direction we are taking is consistent with those aims,” he said.

Mr Bayley explained that their recycling process is firmly based on that principle and turns old end-of-life tires into high value oil, carbon and steel and the processing emissions conform to NSW Environment Protection Agency guidelines.

Tagged: CarbonScape

Tire recycler signs deal to turn their carbon into high value graphite