Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis
51 (1999) 201–221
The vacuum pyrolysis of used tires
End-uses for oil and carbon black products
C. Roy *, A. Chaala, H. Darmstadt
Institut Pyroac Inc., Parc Technologique du Que ´bec Me ´tropolitain, rue Franquet, Sainte -Foy, Que ´bec,
G1P 4C7, Canada
Received 9 July 1998; accepted 18 November 1998
Abstract
By vacuum pyrolysis, the rubber portion of used tires is transformed into oil and gas and
the carbon black filler is recovered as pyrolytic carbon black (CB
P
). Several commercial
applications for the different products have been investigated and are reported in this article.
CB
P
surface chemistry and activity are similar to those of commercial carbon blacks.
Therefore, CB
P
has the potential to replace commercial carbon black grades in certain
rubber applications. CB
P
was successfully tested as a filler in road pavement. The total
pyrolytic oil can be used as a liquid fuel. The oil can also be distilled into different fractions:
a light, a middle distillate and a heavy fraction. The light fraction was positively tested as a
gasoline additive. Furthermore, this fraction contains valuable chemicals such as D,L-
limonene. The middle fraction was successfully tested as a plasticizer in rubbers. The heavy
fraction represents a good-quality feedstock for the production of coke and can also be used
in road pavements. The pyrolytic gas can be used as a make-up heat source for the pyrolysis
process. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Used tire; Vacuum pyrolysis; Carbon black; Oil; End-use
1. Introduction
In the industrialized world approximately one used tire is produced per capita per
year [1]. Most of these tires are simply dumped in the open or in landfills. This is
environmentally not acceptable. Tire piles can be the source of very toxic emissions
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-418-656-7406; fax: +1-418-656-2091.
E-mail address: croy@gch.ulaval.ca (C. Roy)
0165-2370/99/$ - see front matter © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII:S0165-2370(99)00017-0