Black Bear, MMEC partner to boost tire recycling efforts

The engineering and construction firm MMEC Mannesmann, Dusseldorf, Germany, has announced plans to partner with Black Bear, a Netherlands-based tire recycling firm, to open and expand the number of tire-to-carbon-black recycling operations throughout the world. Under the agreement, the two companies will take part in the rollout of Black Bear’s technology to produce recovered carbon black from scrap tires.

Black Bear manufactures recycled carbon black, including a Cradle-to-Cradle certified product. The company developed a carbonization process to transform used tires into valuable resources. In several industries, recycled carbon black is used as an additive in rubber, tires, plastics, coatings plastics and inks.

As part of the partnership, MMEC will perform the detailed engineering, procurement and construction of Black Bear’s facilities.

Johann-Georg Rathgeb, MMEC’s head of technologies, says, “Black Bear’s proven technology is highly promising. We have been closely monitoring their technology developments for quite some time now. Considering the lessons learned of their first industrial-sized pilot-plant and despite the fire that happened in early February, we are convinced that together we can realize state-of-the-art plants across the globe.”

Oliver Apelt, CEO of MMEC Mannesmann, says, “We are delighted about this partnership with Black Bear. We carry strong belief in their technology and look forward to rolling it out around the world.”