Continental has taken a major step toward industrial-scale rubber recycling with the acquisition of an exclusive patent family and the commissioning of a pilot facility to produce purified pyrolysis oil. For the first time, the company is harnessing the industrial potential of pyrolysis technology to recover high-quality raw materials from waste rubber, aiming to systematically replace fossil resources.
Developed by British start-up LowSulphurFuels, the purification process transforms oil derived from pyrolysis into a form suitable for industrial use. The thermal technique breaks down vulcanized rubber into its basic chemical components, producing a gaseous energy source, recovered carbon black, and a high-quality oil comparable to fossil crude oil. This oil can serve as a foundation for new rubber and plastic products, offering a practical pathway to close material cycles in the industry.
“With this technology, we’re closing a crucial gap in the circular materials economy: we’re able to recover high-quality raw materials from rubber waste, which we can then feed back into the chemical material cycle to create new products without relying on crude oil,” said Dr. Michael Hofmann, Chief Technology Officer at ContiTech.
The recycling of vulcanized rubber has traditionally posed a major challenge, as its altered chemical structure prevents easy separation of its components. While conventional methods have had limited success, pyrolysis combined with advanced purification now makes recycling technically feasible and economically viable. The new facility is expected to create opportunities for reintegrating hard-to-recycle products such as food-grade hoses and rubber-metal composites into the material cycle.
By acquiring patents and launching this facility, Continental’s ContiTech unit is strengthening its position as an innovation leader in sustainable industrial solutions. In 2023 alone, the company filed more than 150 patent applications and was granted around 250 patents, underscoring its focus on advancing circular economy technologies.
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