Book Now

Agenda

rCB for Beginners & Experts
Led by Martin Von Wolfersdorff, Principal Advisor of Wolfersdorff Consulting

Tuesday 4 November 2025 | 14:00 - 17:00 CET | Barcelona, Spain

Workshop Agenda

13:30 - Workshop registration / refreshments

14:00 - Workshop Introduction

14:15 - Introduction to rCB

  • This session will explain rCB in easy terms also to non-technical colleagues, investors and everyone attending Recovered Carbon Black Europe for the first time.
  • Why does rCB unlock business viability of tyre pyrolysis technology?
  • How does curating ELT feedstocks help rCB production?
  • Is rCB a commodity yet?
  • Can it be sold?
  • What is the supply & demand and who are the customers?
  • We will cover all of these questions and of course any other questions you might have.

15:00 - Current state of rCB

  • This session will analyse the current state, show mega-trends in the industry and give company success stories and application examples.
  • rCB terminology, standards and specifications, which are currently under review in the June ASTM meetings, will be important topics.
  • We will also invite rCB companies in the audience to briefly introduce themselves to the workshop community.

15:45 - Refreshment Break

16:00 - Future of rCB

  • Here we will discuss new technologies, new concepts, new applications and new ideas, such as ELT feedstock sorting, ash leaching, activation and new process technologies.
  • It will again be possible to contribute your innovation and to introduce your company on the day.

16:45 - Q&A

17:00 - End of Workshop

More presenters will be announced soon, if you have some words to say or want to introduce yourself in the workshop as an attendee, we will have microphones for that!

Tickets are €449 in-conjunction with your conference ticket!

Speakers


rcb-25-w-shop-martin
Registration and welcome refreshments
Smithers welcome
SESSION 1: rCB MARKET OVERVIEW AND INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
The Year in Carbon Black, with a focus on Europe
Tyre company outlook
Speaker to be announced
Update from ASTM Committee D36 on rCB
In 2017 ASTM committee D36 on Recovered Carbon Black was founded with the aim to develop relevant Standards, test methods and procedures for the tyre pyrolysis industry. This presentation will provide an update on the most recent developments of the committee including updates on various new standards that are currently being proposed and developed. Some of the topics that will be presented in further detail are:
  • Objectives and Strategy of the committee
  • rCB Classification system
  • New rCB test methods including a novel “particle size”, “TGA” and “ash content” test method
  • New TPO standard
  • Product Category Rules (PCR) for conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCA’s) for tyre pyrolysis operations and rCB production.

Pieter ter Haar | Chair, ASTM Committee D36 on Recovered Carbon Black, Director rCB, Circtec
Morning networking refreshment break
Keynote CEO panel session: current demands and future outlook
Moderator:
David Shaw, CEO, Tire Industry Research
Panellists:    
Tony Wibbeler, CEO, Bolder Industries
Pascal Klein, Co-founder and CEO, Pyrum Innovations AG
Robert Harper, CEO, Circtec  
Krzysztof Wróblewski, CEO, Contec S.A.  


 
EU Regulatory tools to tackle illegal ELT exports and enable a single market for recycled materials
The current situation of illegal exports of End-of-Life Tyres (ELT) from Europe to countries with less stringent environmental and treatment obligations implies the loss of valuable materials for the European Market and create serious environmental and health risks. However, the Waste Shipment Regulation aims to ensure that the EU does not export its waste challenges to third countries and contributes to environmentally sound management of waste. This presentation will discuss the regulatory tools that the EU could leverage to avoid these exports and enable a single market recycled materials.
 
Gabriel Gomez | Technical Advisor, European Recycling industries' Confederation - EuRIC
BB&G’s pathway & learnings to close the loop in the tire industry
20 years challenge in tire pyrolysis industry
Networking lunch break
SESSION 2: APPLICATION DEVELOPMENTS AND DELIVERY TO MARKET
Chair: Massimo Cialone, Chief Specialist, Hankook Tires Limited

The Tire Materials Development Cycle: Why it takes 3 to 5 years to get a new material into a tire
If you ask how long it takes to get a new material into regular production in the tire industry, the automatic response is “3 to 5 years.” This is generally correct, but many people, even those inside the tire industry, don’t know why it takes that long. In this presentation, we will outline the basic steps in the tire materials development cycle (TMDC) while relating it to the 3 rate-determining factors: effectiveness, risk and resources. The author will also explain the concept of second-source approvals and ways to avoid making the cycle take longer.
 
David Abdallah | Founder, Abdallah Consulting
rCB purification methods and automotive coatings applications
  • Carbon Black from ELT as a sustainable material including rCB with reduced amounts of impurities (Si, Zn, S)
  • Results from various chemical methods decreased impurities in rCBs from different pyrolysis technologies down to 5 wt.-%
  • RCB evaluation as a pigment for high-end automotive coatings supported by visual examples

Stefan Hannemann | Technologies rCB and Circularity, BASF
The industrial revolution of rCB has begun
Afternoon networking refreshment break
SESSION 3: ELT FEEDSTOCKS
Chair: Dr Alexander Bowles, Process Engineer, Orion Engineered Carbons
Engineering the Future of ELT Recycling: Integrating MTR and Pyrolysis Requirements
This presentation will examine the current landscape of the Mechanical Tire Recycling (MTR) industry in light of the evolving requirements of the pyrolysis sector, with a particular focus on feedstock preparation. It will explore selected MTR processing layouts, highlighting existing technical capabilities and identifying areas where further technological development is needed to meet the specific demands of pyrolysis.
A key focus will be the influence of "smart deconstruction" methods on the quality of recovered carbon black (rCB) and tire pyrolysis oil (TPO), emphasizing the need for optimized feedstock preparation. This is especially relevant given the growing demand for End-of-Life Tires (ELTs) in pyrolysis, which is not currently matched by adequate feedstock availability. The presentation will conclude by proposing an optimal organizational framework for MTR processing that addresses both the traditional ELT markets and the emerging needs of the pyrolysis industry.
Securing the Future of ELT Feedstock: Unlocking Value Across the rCB Supply Chain
  • As pyrolysis scales globally, access to reliable, high-quality ELT feedstock is emerging as a key risk for operators and investors, while product specifications continue to tighten.
  • The presentation explores how these shifts impact ELT availability and quality across major regions including the U.S., Europe, and Asia
  • It outlines strategies to de-risk supply,  strengthen integration between recyclers and operators, improve feedstock consistency, and foster long-term supply resilience

Robert Weibold | Founder and Managing Director, Weibold Consulting
Sorting for better recycling
  • How can we sort 1,200 tires an hour ?
  • What do we do with sorted tires ?
  • Why is sorting essential for pyrolysis ?
  • How can we improve the quality of output flows to move from waste to product ? More specifically, how can sorting improve rCB quality ?
  • How to bring traceability to tire recycling ?
  • What advantages will the Digital Product Passport, via RFID, bring to tire sorting ?

Bertrand Thoumsin | Sales Manager Europe, Regom
Chairs summary and end of day one
Networking drinks reception
Welcome refreshments
SESSION 4: rCB CHARACTERISATION
Chair: Raffaele di Ronza, Senior Application and Technical Solutions Manager, Cabot Corporation
Driving standardization and performance: aligning rCB specifications with industry needs
Raman spectroscopy: a valuable tool for characterization of recovered carbon black
  • Explore an alternative characterization method for recovered carbon black (rCB)
  • Gain insights into the structural properties of pyrolyzed carbon black
  • Understand the fundamental principles of Raman spectroscopy
  • Identify key differences between virgin carbon black (vCB) and recovered carbon black (rCB)

Prof. Dr. Jorge Lacayo-Pineda | R&D Innovation & Applied Research, Continental Tires
Dispersion kinetics of carbonaceous materials in elastomer mixing
Benchmarking the black: unraveling rheological and physical performance in recovered carbon black (rCB) rubber compounds
Morning networking refreshment break
SESSION 5: TPO UPDATES AND APPLICATIONS
TPO Market update / overview
Sustainable aviation fuel
SESSION 6: TECHNOLOGY AND R&D UPDATES
Chair: Prof. Dr. Jorge Lacayo-Pineda, Head of Expert Field for Materials Evaluation, R&D Innovation & Applied Research, Continental Tires
Cabot Corporation’s upgraded reclaimed carbon technology enables higher loadings in tire carcass applications
  • Introduction to Cabot and Cabot's sustainability initiatives
  • Overview of Cabot’s technology that enables 30% loading of reclaimed carbon (rC) for N300 space
  • Performance of Cabot's upgraded rC  in multiple tire applications compared to reference carbon blacks and rC blends

Mark Pender | Senior R&D Manager, Cabot Corporation
Networking lunch break
In-reactor catalytic modification of tyre rubber pyrolysis to enhance recovered Carbon Black properties
Ongoing work at Imperial College has been studying how the mode of operation of the pyrolysis system, particularly regarding the inclusion of pyrolysis catalysts, affects the rCB produced. Results have shown that there are changes to the oil and rCB yields, whilst also modifying the surface reactivity of the resulting rCB. We believe that these process variations are also directly affecting the formation of carbonaceous residues, one of the most challenging issues for rCB reuse.  This presentation will provide an early-stage analysis of the impacts of this alternative pyrolysis system, and what it may mean for enhancing the use of rCB in tyres whilst reducing the consumption of vCB.
 
Dr. Geoff Fowler | Senior Research Fellow , Imperial College London
Enhancing rubber compounds containing rCB through exploitation of inorganic content
  • Increases in compound viscosity have been observed when mixing with rCB, a means of reducing this is desirable
  • Trials have been performed on a butyl inner liner formulations incorporating European passenger tyre derived rCB
  • Inorganic content (silica) has been modified with a variety of silanes, and the impact of this modification is explored

Richard Moon | Principal Scientist, Avon Protection
Engineering solutions for rCB back-end
•              Shredding and pyrolysis: External solutions vs. in-house systems
•              Process balancing and logistics
•              Feedstock management and material flow
•              Energy efficiency of the back-end process
Dr. Daniel-Christian Karhoff | Research & Development Engineer, NEUMAN & ESSER Process Technology Gmbh
rCB Finishing: the devil is in the detail
Closing remarks
Prof. Dr. Jorge Lacayo-Pineda, Head of Expert Field for Materials Evaluation, R&D Innovation & Applied Research, Continental Tires
Martin Von Wolfersdorff, Principal Advisor, Wolfersdorff Consulting
End of conference