Black Bear Carbon 2.0: Upcycling Carbon Black from End-of-life Tyres
Black Bear Carbon, together with other EIT Climate-KIC partners, aim to recover high-quality, low-toxicity carbon black, from end-of-life tyres (ELTs) for re-use as an industrial feedstock.
Upcycling recovered carbon black (rCB) contributes to addressing the significant environmental impacts associated with the management of end-of-life tyres and virgin carbon black production.
Black Bear Carbon’s joint venture with Kargro, a major tyre recycler, illustrates how strategic collaborations can increase credibility and reduce risk when scaling circular innovations by new market entrants.
This insightful case study concludes that revolutionary technologies cannot transform existing production systems in isolation; they require support from other system elements (e.g. international quality standards can promote the diffusion of circular alternatives).