© 2026 Wolfersdorff Consulting Berlin
Dear colleagues & friends of recovered Carbon Black,
Welcome to your January 2026 dose of curated recovered Carbon Black and related news. The views and opinions in this newsletter are my own.
We currently have7.587 subscribers and we also currently have 1.213 members in the LinkedIn rCB group Martin & friends: recovered Carbon Black "rCB" and tyre pyrolysis.
Overview
Circtec Farmsum facility opening
New Enviro CEO
Pyrum and Unitank JV
rCB Europe 2026 date & location confirmed
Sumitomo and Cabot collaborate on regenerated carbons
Circtec Farmsum facility opening
Circtec 's Farmsum TPO & rCB production facility will be inaugurated on January 27th 2026.
For me, this is the industry event of the year. No other company has aimed that high. No other company has made partnerships with that many high profile partners. And no other company has been inspiring us that much.
In a first phase starting this year, Farmsum will have a capacity for 20 ktpa TPO and 18 ktpa rCB. In a second phase by 2027/28, the total capacity will be for 80 ktpa TPO and 73 ktpa rCB.
New Enviro CEO
Fredrik Aaben , former Enviro CFO, took over the CEO role at Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (publ) from Fredrik Emilson , who will stay with the company as advisor. Fredrik Olofsson , the commercial representative of Enviro, is also still with the company.
2026 will be an important year for Enviro: The Infiniteria JV TPO & rCB production facility in Uddevalla, Sweden, is expected to be commissioned this year with a capacity for 16 ktpa TPO and 10 ktpa rCB.
Pyrum and Unitank JV
Pyrum Innovations AG and UNITANK Gruppe have signed an agreement to form a 49:51 JV called UniPyrum to be based in Hamburg.
The JV's first TPO & rCB production facility will be in Emleben, south-west of Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany. It will have a capacity to produce 6 ktpa TPO and 6,5 ktpa rCB.
Further 10 facilities are in the talks. The UniPyrum JV is currently location scouting for the next 2 facilities.
Pyrum already champions the Prospects for recovered Carbon Black ranking for the highest number of projects. Now the company has 11 site projects in work, 7 of which are likely to be commissioned in 2027.
On a side note: Journalists report these projects as "tyre recycling projects" and quote capacities as 22 ktpa of end-of-life-tyres ("ELTs"). For me, it is important to call the industry "rCB industry" because these facilities can only be profitable and sustainable if they produce rCB. This is also my reason to quote TPO and rCB production figures rather than ELT capacity. This mindset is even more important for operators. Companies with a recycling mindset will not succeed. Only companies that cater for market requirements will succeed. Recycling makes something out of everything. Production makes what customers require.
rCB Europe 2026 date & location confirmed
The Smithers recovered Carbon Black Europe Conference 2026 will be in the Steigenberger Amsterdam Airport Hotel from November 4th - 5th. Please also block the afternoon of November 3rd, when I will likely run a pre-conference workshop again!
The Steigenberger Hotel is a proven location for the rCB Conference. We have been there twice, in 2021 and and 2024. Logistics will be easy; Amsterdam Schipol is one of the best airports in the world. And I am sure that we will again have a drinks reception in Amsterdam City!
Sumitomo and Cabot collaborate on regenerated carbons
Sumitomo Rubber Industries ("SRI") just rebranded its major tyre operations under the "Dunlop" brand. The company now announced having signed an MOU with Cabot Corporation to "evaluate the commercial adoption of circular reinforcing carbons made with Cabot’s patented regenerated carbon technology".
What is the regeneration technology? Ash leaching? Activation? None of these. Cabot R&D expert Mark J. Pender actually presented this technology at the Smithers rCB Europe Conference 2025 in Barcelona.
Unfortunately, Mark's slides were not shared in the rCB Europe conference proceedings. But he did share that the technology is based on Cabot's 2019 US patent 10.519.298 B2 for "Coated Carbon Particles".
As you might already imagine, Cabot's circular reinforcing carbons are grown on top of rCB in a standard carbon black furnace process! US patent 10.519.298 B2 is about introduction of carbon materials including rCB, plasma carbons and other forms of carbons into the furnace process through the CBO feedstock.
I think this technology has some potential. I wonder how fine the particles need to be milled. The patent states "less than 20 µm", but that would not produce a standard reinforcing carbon black aggregate?
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