Continental has announced the construction of the world’s first fully integrated plant for hot retreading of truck and bus tires and recycling of end-of-life tires. The new facility will be built by 2013 in Hanover and will produce 180,000 retreaded tires and process approximately 4,000 tons of used tires annually. The investment value will exceed 10 million euros.
In the European Union, 41% of all end-of-life tires are currently sent for incineration in cement plants. Another 35% are processed and used to manufacture rubber products not subject to high stress, such as molded products. Continental has developed an innovative recycling process that allows for high levels of recycled rubber content in compounds used for the production of both new and retreaded tires.
– With plans to recycle approximately 4,000 tons of used tires annually, this will give us savings of 2,400 tons of rubber and 1,600 tons of carbon black and silica – notes Dr. Boris Mergell, Vice President of Material Development, Processes and Industrialization.
Located in the Stöcken district of Hanover, the new ContiLifeCycle plant, along with the recycling facility, will begin operations in 2013. Upon reaching full design capacity, it will produce 180,000 retreaded tires. The worn tread strips generated at the ContiLifeCycle factory will be fully processed at the recycling plant.
ContiLifeCycle is an integrated concept that enables the provision of efficient and sustainable services to customers – from the purchase of new tires, through regrooving, casing management, to retreading.