How UK Biotech Company Is Revolutionising Rubber Waste Management

Challenges and Environmental Impact of Rubber Recycling

Tyre rubber waste has a significant impact on the environment, contributing heavily to carbon emissions and pollution. When tyres are incinerated, large amounts of CO? and other harmful gases are released into the atmosphere, fueling climate change and worsening air quality. Tyres discarded in landfills pose long-term environmental risks, as they take hundreds of years to decompose and can release toxic chemicals into the soil and groundwater.

Recycling tyre rubber presents several challenges. Tyres are made from a complex combination of natural and synthetic rubbers, chemicals, and metals. This mix makes them difficult to break down and process effectively. Traditional recycling methods often fall short of recovering materials that can match the original quality and versatility of virgin rubber.

The main approaches for tyre recycling include mechanical recycling, pyrolysis, and devulcanization. While these methods help reduce waste, they do not consistently produce reusable rubber with the same properties as new materials. Moreover, they do not fully address the demand for virgin raw materials, which remains a challenge for sustainable production.

Recircle Ltd. is a biotechnology company committed to finding new, more sustainable ways to recycle tyre rubber. “We focus on using advanced biological processes to make rubber recycling more efficient and eco-friendly, addressing the environmental issues caused by traditional methods”.

By leveraging cutting-edge biotechnology, Recircle aims to transform rubber waste into valuable, reusable materials. This innovative approach not only reduces the environmental impact of tyre waste but also decreases the reliance on less sustainable recycling methods, paving the way for a greener future.

Recircle’s Innovative Approach to Rubber Recycling

At Recircle, we use a Solaris fermenter known as “The One,” which allows us to perform small-scale, real-time testing of our rubber recycling processes. This technology plays a key role in our innovative approach to breaking down rubber using enzymes. Breaking down rubber through enzymatic processes is a cutting-edge biotechnological solution designed to tackle the challenges of recycling this highly durable material. Rubber polymers are tough and resistant, but we use specialised recombinant enzymes that are selected for their ability to target and break specific chemical bonds within the rubber structure, making recycling and reuse of the material more efficient.

Once the rubber tyres are shredded into smaller particles, known as rubber crumbs, and the appropriate enzymes are selected, we use the Solaris fermenter to carry out the degradation process. This fermenter provides a controlled environment where the enzymes work under carefully managed conditions, including optimal temperature, pH, and dissolved gas levels. These factors are crucial to maximising the enzymes' performance, as they are highly sensitive to their surroundings. The One fermenter allows us to fine-tune these parameters, ensuring the best possible efficiency for breaking down rubber waste.

Real-Time Monitoring for Enhanced Rubber Breakdown

Inside the Solaris ONE fermenter, the rubber breakdown process is continuously monitored, allowing us to track the efficiency of the enzymatic reaction in real time. By observing the reaction kinetics and collecting valuable data, we can optimise the breakdown process and improve the effectiveness of the enzymes.

The fermenter's lab-scale size enables us to test and refine pilot conditions before scaling the process up to an industrial level. This approach allows us to perfect the technique in a controlled setting and ensure that it can be efficiently applied to larger, commercial-scale operations.

By using the Solaris fermenter, the enzyme-based process for breaking down rubber crumbs becomes more precise, efficient, and scalable. This refinement paves the way for future industrial applications in rubber recycling, making the process more sustainable and commercially viable.

Benefits of the Solaris Fermenter?

The Solaris fermenter offers fine-tuned control over environmental conditions, enabling real-time monitoring of enzyme performance. This flexibility allows us to quickly adjust enzyme concentrations or switch to more effective microbial strains as needed, expediting the testing phase and facilitating the identification of suitable agents for rubber processing.

Thanks to its compact design, the fermenter is ideal for R&D, simulating industrial processes without the need for large equipment. It is easy to operate and sterilise through autoclaving, which is crucial for working with sensitive enzymes and microorganisms. The modular design allows adjustments for various enzyme systems or microbial strains, and automated controls streamline small-scale processes.

In essence, the Solaris fermenter provides an ideal platform for experimenting with and perfecting enzyme-based rubber recycling. Its precision, efficiency, and scalability are vital for advancing eco-friendly rubber processing technologies that can be scaled up for industrial use.

Collaborative Support and Future Goals

The technical support from experts at BPES has been invaluable in customising the fermenter to our specific needs, coordinating scientific activities, and refining processes. This collaboration is vital for optimising our biotechnological solutions and driving innovation in rubber recycling for a sustainable future.

Looking ahead, we aim to scale up and optimise our rubber recycling processes for greater efficiency and effectiveness. Our focus is on refining methods and transitioning from lab-scale to pilot-scale and industrial applications.

Investing in new technologies, such as the Solaris Jupiter fermenters is crucial to our strategy, offering enhanced precision and control for managing larger-scale rubber recycling.

Ultimately, our goal is to significantly reduce rubber waste and develop a sustainable solution that enables infinite recyclability. We aim to create a closed-loop system for continuous rubber recycling, minimising environmental impact and promoting sustainability within the industry. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and adaptive systems, we are committed to overcoming challenges and advancing sustainability.

1. Rajaeifar, M. A., et al. (2022). "Sustainable Management of Waste Tire: A Review of Recent Advances and Current Practices."? Waste Management, 137, 124-139.?