Contributing to the circular economy, an innovative tyre-burning initiative at PPC’s De Hoek plant in the Western Cape, South Africa, has successfully demonstrated the viability of burning waste tyres as an alternative to coal in cement production. The project not only reduces coal usage and NOx emissions but also decreases landfill requirements for waste tyres, achieving a positive environmental impact. By Johan Vorster, PPC, South Africa.

Few consumer products have a poorer environmental image than the tyre. It is hard to escape the bleak sight of coal-coloured mountains of used tyres that blight local landscapes. Given their composition, tyres are difficult to dispose of because they are not easily converted into any other useful product. Until now efforts to recover their raw materials have proven challenging because more fuel is needed to decompose their elements than is used to make a new tyre.

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