The 50,000 tonne-per-annum capacity site in Wednesbury will take in tyres for shredding, before material is sent to Credential's cryogenic reprocessing plant in Baglan.
 A computer image showing how the new pre-processing plant will look |
Credential is importing tyre processing technology from Finland for the pre-processing plant.
The cryogenic plant – using liquid nitrogen to break down tyres into rubber crumb at low temperatures – is to expected to be up and running by the end of May.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Steve Patterson, divisional director at Credential explained that the Wednesbury site is close to areas of dense population, where a good supply of waste tyres will arise.
He said: “By mid July we will have a plant in the Midlands already processing significant volumes of tyres, and another in South Wales taking pre-processed raw materials and turning it into rubber crumb. By May we are hoping to be into a reasonable level of production and by the end of the year we will be in freeshift – processing about 2,500 tonnes per month.”
Cryogenic
The cryogenic plant in Baglan is being built by TyreGenics Ltd; a partnership between Credential, liquid nitrogen supplier BOC Gases and US-based sports surfaces manufacturer FieldTurf Inc (see letsrecycle story).
The plant will use specialist equipment imported from Canadian company, RTI to freeze the tyres making them brittle enough to be hammered down to 'rubber crumb'.
Mr Patterson explained that rubber which can be broken down to powder size “is a much sought after valuable product which can be used in underseals, specialist sealants and mastics.”
Mr Patterson commented: “The rubber crumb market will grow as the material will replace virgin rubber and the finer end product will open new markets to us.”
FieldTurf Inc has agreed to take three quarters of the output of the site – to avoid the cost of having to import rubber crumb from abroad.
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