©2025 Wolfersdorff Consulting - Image source: Smithers
Dear colleagues & friends of recovered Carbon Black,
Welcome to your November 2025 dose of curated recovered Carbon Black and related news. The views and opinions in this newsletter are my own.
Please let me know your comments and questions!
We currently have7.514 subscribers and we also currently have 1.172 members in the LinkedIn rCB group Martin & friends: recovered Carbon Black "rCB" and tyre pyrolysis.
Prospects for recovered Carbon Black 2024 - August 2025 update
Wolfersdorff Consulting Berlin
Overview
rCB Europe Conference
Pyrum Innovations News
Management changes at L4T
Infiniteria commissioning delays & new Infiniteria CEO
ASTM D36 News
Videos from rCB Europe 2025
rCB Europe Conference
rCB Europe was an energising conference with an engaged rCB community that made progress already and that is confident to tackle the remaining challenges.
We were about 300 colleagues at the Smithers - Market Intelligence Services rCB Europe Conference in the Hyatt Tower Hotel in Barcelona. This makes rCB Europe the largest forum for carbon black materials in Europe. Which were the key topics?
Image source: Smithers
Scaling, investment and the "Year of rCB"
A central theme of the conference was the acceleration of the recovered Carbon Black (rCB) industry, which I called "the Year of rCB" during my opening talk.
The rCB industry is scaling and moving past the workshop stage. Companies like Circtec are commissioning in Delfzijl/The Netherlands, Bolder Industries is building in Antwerp/Belgium, and Infiniteria is building in Uddevalla/Sweden. NE-TECH INDUSTRIES built a second facility in Karcag, Hungary, which will start up in January 2026. This growth means the industry is no longer talking about whether rCB will come, but when.
Investment is happening, enabling scaling. However, the path is complex and non-linear ("not only rosy"). Investment capital remains a prerequisite for future growth, requiring typically $100m, and obtaining low-cost capital requires de-risking and security of revenue over a long period, often through collared agreements (CEO panel; Robert Harper, Circtec).
The success of major companies is based on extensive application work: Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (publ) application work enabling Infiniteria, Bolder Industries creating over 2,000 rubber recipes and Circtec doing extensive work on both TPO and rCB. rCB is increasingly seen as an engineered material, not just a product of pyrolysis.
Standardisation (ASTM D36) and classification of rCB
Standardisation is critical for market entry, quality assurance and for enabling rCB to become a commodity.
The ASTM Committee for recovered Carbon Black D36 was founded eight years ago to address the fact that rCB is a very different product from conventional carbon black. It focuses on identifying and developing meaningful tests and categorising materials. Active participation from top tire manufacturers, carbon black producers, and rCB companies is driving this work.
Recent standards include an improved ash content test method which reduces testing time from about 16-18 hours to about two hours by using a temperature of 700°C (ASTM D8621). A new reference compound has also been developed for in-rubber testing, featuring a slightly higher filler loading to improve the resolution of the filler effect (ASTM D8582). Guides are also being created for the shelf life of rCB products and to unify life cycle assessment (LCA) guidance across the sector.
rCB Europe pre-conference workshop (image source: Smithers)
A new classification system is under review, aiming to categorise products based on rCB-specific parameters like toluene transmission and ash content, resulting grade names like, for example, R23 and R42.
Colleagues strongly caution against using traditional carbon black metrics like structure level and surface area to predict the performance of rCB in rubber, as these do not provide accurate performance indications.
ELT feedstock supply, sorting and regulatory challenges
Supply chains, particularly the upstream end-of-life tyre (ELT) feedstock supply chain, present significant challenges, both commercially and with regards to regulations.
While Europe generates about 3.9 million tons of ELTs per year, rapid capacity expansion means that the expected demand for quality ELT feedstock will exceed local ELT availability in parts of Europe (e.g. The Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary). This requires rCB companies to enlarge their radii and secure long-term contracts or pursue vertical integration by acquiring mechanical recyclers or collectors.
Uncontrolled feedstock variation creates inconsistencies in key rCB properties. Sorting technologies, such as those using AI to identify brand, size, tread depth and contaminants, are being developed to improve consistency and quality of output flows. Data management and establishing a database of tyre compositions is seen as potentially highly valuable.
The Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) aims to prevent illegal exports and guarantee environmentally sound treatment of waste. This regulation, kicking in fully by mid-2027, is expected to divert exported ELTs back into the European market, easing supply issues.
The End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Regulation requires a specific percentage of recycled content in new vehicles. Initial drafts controversially excluded elastomers (like tyres) due to the mistaken belief that "there is no technical recycling method" available. If elastomers were excluded, recycled products from tyres (like TPO based plastics) may not be counted toward circularity mandates, which companies like Pyrum Innovations AG are actively fighting to change.
rCB technical performance, testing and new applications
Technical advancements and performance data are key to increasing market adoption, particularly in tyre components and non-rubber sectors.
rCB utilisation in tyres is often prioritised in lower-risk components like inner liner and sidewall. Testing demonstrated that up to 12 phr of a specific rCB in a sidewall compound showed comparable durability and crack resistance to N550 (Helmut Kreuser, ENSO). The process for getting a new material approved in a tyre (TMDC) is a long stage-gate process that often takes 3 to 5 years ( Dave Abdallah ).
Cabot introduced a regenerated carbon technology, "CGX1000", that uses reclaimed carbon (rCB) as a feedstock and introduces it into a traditional carbon black furnace reactor together with the CBO feedstock to apply a fresh carbon coating. This product contains 30% rCB, has a reinforcement profile similar to N330 and is being targeted for carcass applications (e.g. under tread, apex or carcass plies) where few other rCB solutions exist ( Mark J. Pender , Cabot Corporation).
BASF presented a purification method (currently batch-wise but scalable) using a reactive agent to reduce impurities from 25% down to 5% residue, largely composed of silicon and zinc. The purified rCB was then successfully used in high-performance automotive coatings ( Stefan Hannemann , BASF).
Raman spectroscopy is proving useful to characterise the thermal history and structure of rCB, specifically by analysing the ratio of the disordered band to the graphite band in order to indicate the degree of graphitisation and thus the potential loss of reinforcing activity (Jorge Lacayo-Pineda, Continental). For me, this was also the most inspiring and the most enjoyable presentation at rCB Europe!
Fabrizio Zichichi asking Jorge Lacayo-Pineda a question (image source: MvW)
Market volatility, pricing dynamics, and commoditisation debate
Despite capacity growth and technical progress, the rCB industry faces uncertainty and price pressures, making long-term financial structures challenging.
Economic uncertainty, inflation, geopolitical issues and mass imports of inexpensive carbon black (e.g. from Southeast Asia while Russian material is moved to Asia) are creating a "pause" in new carbon black and rCB projects and are lowering utilisation rates.
There is an undeniable correlation between the price of prime ("virgin") carbon black and rCB pricing. Although rCB is currently expected to be less expensive, the price gap differential is decreasing annually.
Commoditisation Debate: Industry leaders believe commoditisation is a "challenging term and a dangerous term" (CEO panel; Tony Wibbeler , Bolder Industries), especially given the hundreds of millions of Dollars invested in specialised technology. While standardisation is needed, focusing on specialty chemical product status which attracts contracts is currently preferred over trading a low-cost commodity.
My personal opinion on the commoditisation topic is that it will be the major enabler for the rCB industry. And while companies like Bolder Industries might not desire commodity prices, I can imagine they desire commodity sales volumes, especially for large production sites like Antwerp, which will produce 26 ktpa rCB by 2029. Commodity pricing might not be that bad either. Big furnace carbon black consumers generally have contract formula prices including services like bulk deliveries, VMOI and technical service. These furnace carbon black prices adjust with CBO feedstock, but never go as low (or high) as spot or import prices. rCB contract pricing typically is not tied to CBO, but can kept constant over contract periods. Finally, any industrial production runs better on a "make to stock" process for commodities than on a "make to order" process where production has to be tailored to each customer. So, while I cannot argue with Tony (who has built an rCB empire and also has lead his team to fabulous rCB application developments), I generally see the rCB industry going into another direction. What do YOU think? ✍️ Write a me comment!
rCB Europe CEO panel (image source: Smithers)
Contractual Solutions to volatility: To secure financing and survive market volatility, establishing floor prices via collared agreements is essential for producers. This protects the supplier during market downturns while offering the customer price hedging during upswings (CEO panel; Robert Harper, Circtec).
Although some industry participants expect the sustainability premium to grow closer to 2030, it was noted that tyre companies are not yet convinced they can pass these costs on to the consumer, making sustainability purchases often discretionary and vulnerable during economic downturns.
Summarising, rCB Europe was an energising conference with an engaged rCB community that made progress already and that is confident to tackle the remaining challenges.
Pyrum Innovations News
Progressing internal & external projects
Congrats to Pyrum Innovations AG for starting construction of their second facility in Perl-Besch, Germany!
Image source: Pyrum Innovations
The company also reported in an investor email on Nov 20th 2025 that it has signed a shareholder agreement with its Czech project partner SUAS GROUP (SUAS Ecology s.r.o.), with 49% own capital, a 10 year oil purchase agreement and a planned start of operations in 2027.
In our 165 pages industry reference report Prospects for recovered Carbon Black, we list Pyrum Innovations as the company with the highest number of international projects. It is great to see that both the internal and the collaborative projects are progressing nicely!
Management and owner changes at L4T
New hope for L4T
In 2023, L4T Life For Tyres inaugurated its €33m rCB & TPO facility located in the La Nava industrial park in Puertollano, Spain. The pyrolysis reactors are based on technology initially developed by CURTI in Italy. However, the plant could not be operated due to technical issues.
Press articles from September till November 2025 (1, 2, 3) talk about a management change and, by implication, also an ownership change. The lubricant company NEXOLUB has taken over Life for Tyres in Puertollano to try to get it back on its feet. Nexolub has also brought pay-checks up to date for the workers who continue working at Life for Tyres.
Congratulations to everyone at L4T Life For Tyres and NEXOLUB!
Image source: lanzadigital.com
Infiniteria commissioning delays
Clear communication from Enviro & Infiniteria
On Nov 14th, Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (publ) published a press release about an extended timeline for its Infiniteria facility in Uddevalla, Sweden. The time has been pushed back because Infiniteria has decided to implement several process improvements to boost industrialisation, safety and efficiency. All central process equipment has been manufactured and is either installed or ready for installation and the buildings are completed and handed over to Infiniteria.
Cold commissioning (i.e., without heat or end-of-life tyres) is scheduled to begin in December 2025 and continue into 2026. As a result of the changes, hot commissioning (pyrolysis of tyres) will start in early 2026, and the Provisional Acceptance Certificate (PAC), previously targeted for mid-2026, is now expected in the second half of 2026.
To me these delays seems minor and I think it is good to get this kind of clear communication about the facility's startup. It is the Year of rCB!
New Infiniteria CEO
On November 27th, Infiniteria announced the appointment of Kajsa Ryttberg-Wallgren as Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1st. Stefano Madeddu will continue with Infiniteria as an advisor (press release).
👏👏 Congrats Kajsa and welcome to the recovered Carbon Black industry!
Kajsa previously was Chief Growth Officer at Stegra (formerly H2 Green Steel), where she helped raise about €1.5 billion in equity financing and signed about €4.2 billion debt financing for the company's Boden plant.
Image source: Infiniteria
ASTM D36 News
Revised rCB terminology
There currently are 3 new standards for ballot, among which is a modernised revision of the rCB terminology. I think this is super important because the terminology reflects the mindset and the mindset sets the scene for strategy and everything else in the business. Thanks to everyone involved!
Videos from rCB Europe 2025
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Carbon & Hydrogen News Nov/Dec 2025
