Twenty-five years, a quarter of a century – an important milestone for European tyre recyclers and colleagues from around the world. More than 125 delegates and guests from 31 countries within and outside of the EU shared in the diverse activities at the 2018 ETRA Conference ‘25 years of Tyre Recycling Progress : Focus on the Future’.
The three-day programme celebrated the achievements of diverse interests within the industry includinggovernment bodies, material recyclers and industrial users.The eventincluded a day of pre-conference sessions on ASTM activities; EU Research, Development and Investment; H2020 and Exploitation, ending with a jazz-filled gala evening.
The keynote address,‘The EU Strategy Towards a Circular Economy’, was presented by Daniel Calleja-Crespo, Director General of DG Environment. His prior roles as Director General of the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and, as Special Envoy for SMEs under DG Enterprise and Industry,offered unique insights into the issues confronting tyre recycling and related industries, creating the general framework for the Plenary Sessions and discussions.
ThePlenaries began with discussions oftwo long-term sector concerns :the accurate quantification of data on arisings and existing valorisation routes(Panel 1) ; and the status and future of SBR materials for sports venues(Panel 2).Simon Hodson (Astutus Research, UK) illustrated the tyre-data flows, highlighting where they were under-or-over reported, the potential impacts of these discrepancies and how they could be avoided in future. He identified areas where recycled materials could be readily substituted for virgin resources.
Some of the most prominent contributors to the on-going discussions on the current SBRissue voiced their concerns and suggested solution alternatives. Nicolas Evans (FIFA), Julia Verhoeven (RIVM), Ir. Pascal Haxaire (Labosport), Enrique Garcia-John (DG Grow), Dennis Andersen (Re-match), Dr. Roberto Bono (Human Impact Research, Italy), and Ir. Wieslaw Wasniowski (Rubber Compounding, Poland), exchanged views and discussed potential solutions, inviting the audience to join-in.
Dr. Jaroslav Kracun (DG Grow), commented that it is evident that sizeable, diverse, long-term markets are necessary for the circular economy to succeed and that tyre recycling could become a major contributor. He noted that Public Authorities are among the largest European consumers and that the new rules of the circular economy could help to develop new markets. His presentation described some of theopportunities available under the revised Green Public Procurement package and explained how the new rules could help to introduce innovative materials, products and technologies to these vast audiences.GPP is defined in Communication (COM (2008 400) “Public procurement for a better environment” as "a process whereby public authorities seek to procure goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured”. Green purchasing is also about influencing the market. By promoting and using GPP, public authorities can provide industry with real incentives for developing green technologies and products. In some sectors, public purchasers command a large share of the market (e.g. public transport and construction.) GPP allows public authorities to achieve environmental targets.Four significant markets were identified for further discussion, i.e., pyrolysis andinnovative materials;building and construction; road networksand Mobility, which brings them all together under GPP.
Pyrolysis has been a part of ETRA since its first project in 1992 and the first conference in 1994. Its evolution during the past 25 years has brought it to the forefront by producing an array of end-products that can be used by numerous industries – from vehicles (tyres, moulded products, hoses, etc.) to the roads on which they ride. The materials, including recycled carbon black (rCB), other solids, and oils are now a major market focus and contributed to the formation of an ASTM Committee. Seven speakers under the Chair of Dr. Elsa Weiss and Dr. Gisele Jung spoke on the market-ready outputs of a variety of technologies.
Materials used in tyres are highly-engineered – the same characteristics that make them such a problem to treat as a waste, make it one of the most durable products on the market and one of the most sought after materials to help re-build infrastructure and products. Until recently, economic, technological and environmental concerns delayed the development of sophisticated materials from becoming an important route for tyre recycling and following the circular path to new markets. These materials are now sought by diverse sectors including civil engineering (roads, bridges, etc.), transportation (vehicle parts, including tyres, train / tram rails, etc.), construction (sealants, noise and vibration abatement), to name a few.
Construction is at the core of Public Authority responsibilities. Using their purchasing power to select goods and services with lower impacts on the environment, can make an important contribution to sustainable consumption and production. GPP is a strong stimulus for eco-innovation and implementing the circular economy. As an example. Public Authorities have led the way in identifying and developing materials and products that can mitigate against building damage during earthquakes, and other natural disasters while reducing CO2 outputs from production, or by improving the elasticity of steel reinforced concrete. They have recognised the benefits gained from all three material outputs from tyres – and use them consistently.
Mobility of both passengers and freight is a critical issue for Public Authorities, particularly in the urban environment which houses over 70% and employs more than 40% of the EU population. The urban community is generally the mobility core – where roads, rails, air and waterways converge. As municipalities become more densely populated and congested, air quality decreases while noise and CO2 emissions increase, impacting on all involved. Municipalities are often responsible for the infrastructure improvements which includes construction and long-term maintenance of local transport systems. Under the new GPP procurement rules environmental impacts as well as costs are considered, a major change from prior years.While most mobility discussions focus on roads, tram and rail transport, the presentations also refer to ways of combining various modes within the same transport chain with the least pollution and most efficient means of transport. Auto-routes, urban roads, rails, highways and sea were discussed.
PROGRAM
Wednesday 14 March 2018
10.00 - 15.00 - Session 1 : NCP Brussels Workshop
12.00 Delegate Registration begins
13.00 ASTM Registration
14.00 - 16.30 - Session 2 : ASTM Meeting
15.30 ETRA General Assembly Meeting (Members only)
Welcome and Introduction of ETRA Members
LAUNCH of the ETRA Partnership Registry for Project Partnerships and Development
18.45 End of General Assembly
19.00 Cocktail Reception
20.00 Gala Dinner in honor of Speakers and Guests
THURSDAY 15 March 2018
08.30 Registration and Welcome coffee
09.00 Introduction and Opening Comments Dr. Valerie L. Shulman, ETRA
09.15 Setting the Stage : EU Tyre Recycling at 25 years Dr. Valerie L. Shulman
09.15 It began in 1990….. Dr. Patrick Brenner, Ministry of Internal Affairs, France
09.35 Future Forward Peter Taylor OBE, UK Tyre Recovery Assn.
09.55 Panel Discussion Dott. Ettore Musacchi, President of ETRA, Dr. Valerie L. Shulman, ETRA
10.15 Delegate questions and discussion
10.30 Keynote Address : The EU Strategy Towards a Circular Economy
Daniel Calleja CrespoDir. Gen., EU DG Environment
10.50 Questions and Discussion
11.00 Panel 1 : The Framework : Data in the Circular Economy Dr. Valerie L. Shulman
11.10 Quantifying the ELT Arisings for the Future Simon Hodson, Astutus Research, UK
11.40 Using GPP rules to buy innovative, green solutions : Enabling circular economy
Jarolslav Krakun, EU Commission
12.00 Challenges of the Future Emmanuel Katrakis, EuRIC, Ettore Musacchi, ETRA
12.15 Questions and Discussion
12.30 LUNCH
13.45 PANEL 2 : The issues of sbr – the Next Steps Geom. Bruno Marabotto, ETRA
13.45 Challenges of the artificial turf industry in football Nicolas Evans, FIFA
14.05 An ETRA Response Ir. Wieslaw Wasniowski, Tebamix, Poland
14.20 REACH PAH proposal : plastic and rubber as infill in synthetic turf pitches
Julia Verhoeven, RIVM
14.40 REACH restrictions – opinion making and legislative process
Enrique Garcia-John, DG Grow
15.00 Playing sports on synthetic media in urban areas: Does the risk for health change?
Dr. Roberto Bono, Italy
15.20 ESTO positions and current works related with infill material for synthetic turf
Ir. Pascal Haxaire, Labosport
15.40 The Circular economy within the synthetic turf industry Dennis Andersen, Re-match
16.00 Coffee Break
16.15 Panel 3 : Pyrolysis Dr. Elsa Weiss and Dr. C. Gisele Jung
16.15 Opening comments Tyre pyrolysis: evaluation of the actual performance and new products
16.30 Review of pyrolytic char and quality
Ir. Balan Ramani and Ir. Arqam Anjum, Twente University, Netherlands
16.45 Recovered carbon black from mining tyres
Ir. Jorge Delaveau, Ir. Ignacio Quinzacara, ECOTR, Chile
17.00 Steam-thermolysys : rCB Characterisation Ir. Ludovic Moulin, Mines Albi, France
17.15 Value adding markets for recovered carbon black Ir. Martin Wolfersdorff, Germany
17.25 Gasification of tyres Dr. Rosa Anllo-Sendin, Chile
17.45 Introduction to Homatech-W Technology Dr. Ferenc Kovacs, OT Industries, Hungary
18.05 Tyres, Oil Shale Co-pyrolysis Dr. Anton Toikka, Eest Energia AS, Estonia
18.25 Table Discussion The Panelists and ASTM
18.45 THE SPOTLIGHT : A Brief Introduction to new products and opportunities
19.15 Cocktail Reception
20.30 Matchmaking Discussion Groups: Opportunities for professional contacts
20.30 Discussion Groups
21.00 A fingerfood working dinner will be served to registered participants at each table session
22.30 Meeting Closure(Delegates may remain in the session room for further discussions.)
FRIDAY 16 March 2018
08.30 Registration
09.00 Introduction and Opening Comments for the Day Dr. V.L. Shulman, ETRA
09.15 Panel 4 : Focus on Mobility Dr. Serji Amirkhanian
09.15 Newopera Aisbl: Projects, Ideas, Perspectives Giuseppe Rizzi, Newopera, Belgium
09.35 Goodpack Supply Chain Solutions : A logistics asset Etienne Savin, France
09.55 LCC : A new opportunity for rubberised bitumen Dr. Serji Amirkhanian, Univ. of Alabama , USA
10.15 Life Cycle Costs : A reinterpretation Dr. Carl Christian Thodesen, NTNU
10.30 Questions and discussion
11.00 Panel 5 : A New GenerationMaterials Dr. Fabrizio Quadrini
11.00 Make rubber, Sell rubber D. Elroy Fimrite, USA
11.20 Continuous rubber recycling with co-rotating twin screw extruder Dr. Alessandro Gallo, Maris
11.40 Bio-devulcanization : state of the art and opportunities for ecological rubber recycling
Dr. Xavier Nicolay, Belgium
12.00 EcoRub : Restarted from square one. Now on square three. Ir. Ake Paulsson, Sweden
12.20 Advanced solutions for recycling and valorisation of tyre rubber powder compounds.
Dr. Maria Teresa Scrivani, Italy
12.40 Surface Modification to enhance viscosity Dr. Serji Amirkhanian, Univ. Alabama
13.00 Bitumen : New devulcanisation agent Dr. Bağdagül Karaağaç, Turkey
13.20 Questions and Discussion
13.30 LUNCH
14.45 Panel 6 : Contributions to Building and Construction Dott. Ettore Musacchi, ETRA
14.45 Environmental impact assessment through BIM of construction works which use RTMs.
David Sabates, Spain
15.05 Rubber-soil mixes : Mitigation of earthquake building damage Dr. John McDougall, Scotland
15.25 Steel fibre rubberised-concrete mixtures Dr. Thomaida Polydorou, Cyprus
15.45 Circular materials in a new industrial philosophy Andrea Gruppioni, Italy
16.05 SWITCH ASIA – opportunities in Asia, Africa and the Med
Alexander Charalambous, Switch 2Green Facility
16.15 Questions and discussion
16.30 Panel 7 : A Long Look Ahead at the Future (the next 25 years)
The final Panel will try to look at the Future from the perspective of the various sectors.
We invite you, the delegates, speakers and guests to join in the discussion.
17.30 Close of Conference
For more information about the conference, speakers, etc. please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
