Hankook Tire & Technology recently hosted a meeting to officially launch the ‘Tire-to-tire Circular Economy Model’. The model oversees the circular economy of end-of-life tires in Korea.
The goal is to create upcycling processes that turn end-of-life tires into new tires. This will push for the use of sustainable materials and help achieve carbon neutrality. Hankook Tire has partnered with 11 companies to work on the project.
Some of them include:
- Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute
- LD Carbon, Korea Institute of Footwear & Leather Technology
- HD Hyundai Oilbank
- HD Hyundai Chemical
- HD Hyundai OCI
- SK Incheon Petrochem
- SK Geo Centric
- LG Chem
- Kumho Petrochemical
- OCI.
The team will create technological solutions that will help identify and produce sustainable raw materials for manufacturing such as synthetic rubber, recovered carbon, and carbon black.
The first display will be shown in Korea where the group will showcase the economic, environmental, and technical feasibility of the recycling process using materials obtained from pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon.
A system that will create easier access to sustainable high-quality materials is also underway. Its creation will need research and development as well as the analysis of the tire product cycle, tire waste pyrolysis, waste collection and sorting, and the manufacture of sustainable raw materials to make new Hankook tires.
In the end, this will help replace traditional petrochemical-based materials and reduce reliance on such resources. Overall, it will also help Korea reduce its CO2 emissions and boost industrial competitiveness.