The plant will supply Orion with tire pyrolysis oil to produce sustainable carbon black
Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global specialty chemicals company, announced today it is investing in Alpha Carbone, a French tire recycling company. The partnership will enable Alpha Carbone to scale up and produce commercial volumes of tire pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black.
The cooperation also includes a long-term supply agreement with Orion as the exclusive customer for the tire pyrolysis oil produced by Alpha Carbone. The oil will be used by Orion to manufacture circular carbon black for tire and rubber goods customers.
“This investment enables Orion to make large-scale volumes of circular grades of carbon black for our rubber customers who are seeking sustainable solutions,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said. “It further strengthens Orion’s position as an innovator focused on the future and accelerating the transition to a circular economy.”
An estimated 500,000 metric tons of tires are discarded annually in France. For years, Orion has been working closely with major tire companies to develop circular carbon black. Tire pyrolysis is the only proven technology to produce circular carbon black that can be used in new tires.
Alpha Carbone’s tire pyrolysis process takes the discarded end-of-life tires and exposes them to high temperatures, removing wire, mesh and other materials. The process also reduces the tires to synthetic gas, recovered carbon black and tire pyrolysis oil.
Orion is the only company that has made circular carbon black from 100% tire pyrolysis oil as a feedstock. The company has also demonstrated that its circular products can replace virgin carbon black in many applications.
Alpha Carbone’s plant is expected to start up in late 2025. Besides the pyrolysis oil supplied to Orion, Alpha Carbone will sell the recovered carbon black to its own customers primarily under long-term contracts.
“This investment will allow Alpha Carbone to bring its Dole, France, facility to the best industrial level in order to supply the growing demands for quality recovered carbon black and tire pyrolysis oil to our customers. This new step aligns with the strategy of Alpha Carbone’s main shareholder, Alpha Recyclage Franche Comté, to offer the best possible solution for recycling end-of-life tires,” said Laura Pech, CEO of Alpha Carbone.
About Orion S.A.
Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection. Orion has four innovation centers and produces carbon black at 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.
About Alpha Carbone:
Alpha Carbone is a steam-pyrolysis company, based in France, focusing for over 15 years on producing recovered carbon black and TPO from end-of-life tires. Alpha Carbone has its main plant in Dole, right next to the group‘s main facility for collection and recovery of end-of-life tires. Alpha Carbone has a joined laboratory with Ecole des Mines d’Albi for R&D purposes.
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