HIGH PROFILE
The thermal conversion plant control room at Kal Tire ' s mining tyre recycling facility in La Negra
Kal Tire and tyre circularity in Chile
In April 2023 , IM Editorial Director , Paul Moore , toured Kal Tire Chile ’ s unique mining tyre recycling facility near Antofagasta with Rodrigo Reyes , Kal Tire Chile Recycling Plant Manager , and Carlos Zuniga , Kal Tire Chile General Manager
There have been many attempts around the world to start up meaningful large mining tyre recycling capability based on pyrolysis – some remain on a small scale , but many others have closed either due to fires and safety incidents , or failure to get consistent results or have failed to achieve sustainability goals in terms of actual production of saleable byproducts .
Canadian tyre management and service company Kal Tire has uniquely succeeded in establishing the world ’ s first commercial mining tyre recycling operation in La Negra , Chile – getting it right both in terms of the process itself , with saleable byproducts , but crucially doing so in a country where mining tyre recycling is now mandatory under the REP Law .
It is a serious business – if the law is not complied with , the tyre importer could be fined and unable to import any further tyres to Chile for a full year . And a number of other countries are looking at what is happening in Chile – already Peru is looking at enacting its own similar legislation and a number of Peruvian delegations from both the government and mining groups have visited the Kal Tire facility . The plant , known in Chile as RNG which stands for Reciclaje
Neumaticos Gigantes ( RNG ), basically translated as Giant Tyre Recycling , has been developed over several years . The operation is now managed by a JV set up between Kal Tire and Mitsui & Co . in 2022 .
The business case
It took a lot of effort and hard work dating back as far as 2016 – but it is now paying off – Bridgestone is now recycling its used tyres in Chile . The REP Law came into force in January 2023 , and requires companies that import mining tyres to collect and recycle 25 % of used tyres . But by 2027 the mandated recycling figure will increase from 25 % to 75 %, and by 2030 , the target will further increase to 100 %. As of today , all the many thousands of legacy tyres at mine sites , many of which are buried , are not affected by the law , but this could change in the future , and many mines may choose to deal with these tyres purely for sustainability reasons .
The customer is responsible to deliver the used tyres to the plant but Kal Tire can also offer this as a service if needed . The first stage of the process is a weigh bridge to confirm the weight of the tyres coming into the facility . According to the
Chilean law , any tonnes of tyres that enter the facility must be accounted for in terms of the recycling process and resultant products .
It effectively becomes a closely monitored circular economy once the tyres cross the threshold . A certified scale is used that is recalibrated every six months . Another aspect is that Kal Tire charges customers based on the tons received . The mandated recycler and therefore the most likely customer is whoever imported the tyres that are now to be recycled into Chile in the first place – so in most cases this will be the big tyre makers – effectively Bridgestone or Michelin .
At the same time while the mines are not mandated to recycle their used tyres – they still have an environmental responsibility to do it and some are looking at it for that reason – during the IM visit , the first 63 in Bridgestone tyres arrived from El Abra mine , but up to this point , the facility had been recycling an initial volume of 2,500 t of Michelin 63 in tyres sent from AMSA ’ s Los Pelambres mine in 2021 – initially 100 tyres then the full batch after their executives came to see it themselves . This was a private arrangement outside of the REP Law . All these tyres were recycled as of May 2023 following the IM visit . The plant is also highly certified – as an example it is undergoing ISO5001 inspections in terms of energy management , expected to be awarded later this year , and recently received International Sustainability and Carbon Certification ( ISCC ) PLUS certification verifying that its mining tyre recycling facility in Chile processes circular feedstocks . This will allow the products to be saleable in the European market .
From gate to market
After the tyres are weighed , they are stored – and Kal Tire has the right to store up to 4,000 t of 57 in and 63 in tyres on its property . Once the tyres are recorded and registered they are ready to begin the actual preparation and move to a cutting area , which uses a pair of specialised cutting machines . The tyres are thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust first as this increases the cutting efficiency but also reduces contamination during the thermal conversion itself . The cutting machine is semiautomated , with the initial speed of the mechanism being inputted but then it carries out the cutting independently . The tyre is cut into six pieces , and after that each of the six pieces is put into the secondary cutter and cut into three pieces – so in total each large tyre ends up in 18 pieces . The process is intensive , but overall is it much cleaner than other processes that involve ripping or shredding tyres – less dust is created plus the regular pieces are much easier to handle .
8 International Mining | AUGUST 2023