Mitsubishi Chemical Group (hereinafter referred to as the "Company Group") announces that it has begun considering recycling used tires at its Kagawa Plant (Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture). It aims to start selling resource-circulating carbon black made from used tires as raw materials by 2025.

As the demand for sustainable raw materials in the tire industry increases, the need for the recycling of carbon black, which is one of the main raw materials and is used as a reinforcing agent for rubber, is also increasing. By leveraging the supply chain of the Company Group, crushed used tires can be inputted into the coke oven as raw materials, and carbon black can be produced from the obtained tar. Selling resource-circulating carbon black that is produced from used tires through the utilization of the coke oven is the world's first attempt*. The produced resource-circulating carbon black has the same performance as regular products and contributes to the realization of tire recycling by being used again as carbon black for tires.

In order to commercialize this effort, a demonstration experiment of inputting used tires into the coke oven has started since July 2024. By the fiscal year 2025, the Company aims to sell resource-circulating carbon black on a scale of several thousand tons per year, and by the fiscal year 2030, on a scale of tens of thousands of tons per year.
Our company group will contribute to the realization of the circular economy in the automobile and tire industry through the establishment of chemical recycling technology for used tires and the construction of a new recycling system.
Reference: Carbon Black Products Website
*According to our company's research
The information described in this news release is at the time of announcement only. Please note that information may differ from that time.