Mitsubishi Chemical to Recycle Tires into Carbon Black

The Mitsubishi Chemical Group has begun studies on converting end-of-life tires into carbon black using coke ovens at its Kagawa, Japan, plant.

The company expects to begin selling the recycled carbon black, a raw material and rubber reinforcing agent in tires, by March 2026, according to an Aug. 22 news release. The company said it’s sales target is several thousand tons of recycled carbon black by 2025 and tens of thousands of tons by 2030.

There is growing demand in the tire industry for recycled carbon black to meet sustainability goals, according to the company.

Mitsubishi Chemical began demonstration experiments in July, feeding used tires into coke ovens.

The sustainable carbon black has the same performance as conventional carbon black, the company said.