Thermolysis. You may not have heard of this process yet, but if the team at Pyrum Innovations have their way, you may soon find yourself using the valuable raw materials or the oil, gas and electricity it produces. Pyrum Innovations has perfected an industrial process that uses thermolysis; the thermal dismantling of substances under oxygen shortage; to turn recycled polymer waste into a variety of commercially useful substances including oil and gas. With a prestigious green innovation award and two rounds of financing already under its belt, the German company is now moving into a third round of financing; and it’s listing its latest deal on Maximpact.com.
Pyrum Innovations started with the ambition to find breakthrough solutions to recycling polymer waste, the waste from used tires, bituminous roof insulation, weather stripping, various kinds of packaging and many other common items. Currently 50% of this waste is burned while the rest is buried in landfill. Both disposal methods carry an ecological cost; and they represent a missed opportunity to recapture the valuable polymers locked in the disused products.
Pyrum’s solution is a revolutionary recycling unit that uses pyrolysis, a type of thermolysis, to process polymer waste. These modular self-contained units are able to handle up to 5000 tons of waste per annum. With no moving parts, the units are transportable and easily installed on industrial premises. They can be scaled up, used in series, or downsized to meet a range of capacity needs. Best of all, they are energy self-sufficient, and can be engineered to generate a range of products including rubber flour, soot, coke, activated charcoal, oil, gas, electricity and heat.
Scalable:
- – Pilot plant for tires – 300 tons/annum
- – Industrial plant – 5000 tons/annum
- – Partners can make 2 units of 5000 tons/annum per month
- – Plans to extend capacity to 8-10 units per month
Pyrum’s exciting work on polymer recycling hasn’t gone unappreciated: in 2012, it won best innovation of the year in Germany and was named “green champion”. Its two early financing rounds attracted funds from angel investors and the European Union as well as garnering matching funds from industrial partners.
Along the way, Pyrum has established relationships with a range of industries, many of whom have a direct interest in the success of the technology. The young company has collaborated with variety of potential clients in the development stages, including tire manufacturers, bitumen producers, aluminum producers and EPDM (a type of synthetic rubber) producers. Pyrum has also forged supportive relationships in other sectors, for example drawing talent and expertise from universities and engineering companies. This widespread interest is one indication of the potential value of their product in a range of sectors and applications.
There’s a buzz around Pyrum. Yet the question remains: Is there market potential in its innovative approach to polymer recycling? With demand for sustainable and green manufacturing processes continuing to grow globally, the answer is yes.
Take used tires as just one example: currently Europe alone generates 3 million tons of used tires; worldwide that figure increases to 13.5 million tons per annum. Pyrum’s pyrolytic recycling units offer a practical alterative to burning or burying this mountain of waste; a proposition that will be attractive to both industry and government. By capturing just 10% of this market, the company could achieve a cumulated turnover of around 4 billion euros. At the same time it could reduce pollution and CO2 emissions, generate useful raw materials and create a beneficial impact for the planet and its inhabitants.
In the fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin turned straw into gold. Now Pyrum Innovations possesses the technology that turns polymer waste into gold of a different sort. For more information, see their deal on Maximpact.com.
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