Australian Solution To New Zealand Tyre Glut

September 4, 2006

Australian Solution To New Zealand Tyre Glut

An Australian recycling entrepreneur wants to take New Zealand’s spare tyres off its hands.

John MacVicar says a new diesel fuel production facility in South Australia would be able to process many of New Zealand’s excess tyres.

Mr MacVicar is principal of AAA Recycling in South Australia, which is soon to build a tyre recycling plant north of Adelaide.

He said he would be interested in entering discussions with New Zealand authorities with a view to using the tyres as raw material for diesel production.

“While New Zealand authorities have an admirable approach to tyre recycling, there have been some difficulties with the various systems set up to deal with them,” Mr MacVicar said.

“The requirement to shred or cut up tyres before they are placed in landfill makes it more expensive to dispose of them properly and increases the likelihood that they will be illegally dumped.

“This represents a potential environmental and fire hazard for councils and local residents.”

Mr MacVicar is currently recycling tyres offshore with a business partner but is soon to build a local plant.

The tyres are re-used through a catalytic process that can convert them into fuel, carbon and steel products.

Tyres are added to a cracking catalyst, then heated. The process results in a high rate of conversion of waste rubber to good quality fuel, which is refined in a fully enclosed process.

Mr MacVicar said his process was the only one in Australia that recycled tyres without leaving any material that needed to be sent to landfill. For each 40 tonnes of tyres, 19 tonnes of diesel, 15 tonnes of carbon black and 6 tonnes of steel is achieved.

He said the steel and black carbon left over were able to be used by other industries.

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