Australia’s waste tyres are increasingly going full circle with carbon black recovered from recycled tyres now considered a smart ingredient in road asphalt.
Recovered carbon black (rCB) is gaining traction in Australia as an economical and environmental road product, especially given virgin carbon black is a finite, costly and high-emissions resource.
Green Distillation Technologies (GDT) is one Australian solution provider working with the National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) to test rCB as an alternative material in roads.
NTRO’s research has indicated rCB is not only compatible with bitumen but could out-perform conventional asphalt mixtures when it comes to endurance.
NTRO Materials and Performance Portfolio Leader Petar Davcev said the organisation’s rCB testing over the past two years in both the lab and on surfaced roads had demonstrated “excellent performance and superior sustainability”.
“These mixes not only improve resource efficiency but also lower emissions from the point of manufacturing through to the laying of the asphalt,” he said.
“Using rCB as a potential substitute for fine ground limestone in asphalt (for example) is a win for the environment and the community.”.
GDT’s unique, clean-emissions technology convertswhole waste tyres into three valuable industrial products – carbon black, oil and steel wire. Around 45 per cent of these recovered resources is carbon.
The company’s plant in Warren, New South Wales, will be processing about 175 tonnes of waste tyres each week by the end of April, 2026, yielding around 80 tonnes of rCB, with plans to increase production throughout 2026.
Chief Operating Officer Trevor Bayley said plans were also underway for a second plant in Toowoomba, Queensland, to further strengthen its rCB supply.
“We offer a smart, Australian solution to transform the scrap tyre into a valuable and sustainable resource,” he said.
“When it comes to recovered carbon black, it’s essential we create a product that delivers on performance, value, the environment and supply.
“Our process ensures a quality, sustainable, abundant alternative that can replicate to the required standard the properties of conventional carbon black.”
GDT refines its “raw” rCB using centrifuge to remove impurities and reduce particles to a fit-for-purpose size, creating a high-purity product with the required and desired properties for road use including:
- less reliance on fossil-based resources, with five scrap passenger tyres in every tonne of asphalt produced with rCB
- a greatly reduced carbon footprint – 12kg of carbon saved for each tonne of asphalt produced with rCB, and a further 12kg saved when tyre-derived fuel is also used
- optimal tensile strength ratio for endurance
- stronger sun protection, due to the fact rCB better retains its black colour
- improved skid resistance, due to rCB’s durable film
- better water resistance.
With some 463,000 kilometres of paved roads in Australia and more than 530,000 tonnes of tyre waste generated each year, using rCB in bitumen and asphalt is seen as a smart win.
“We need clean, economical and scalable solutions to produce critical industrial resources and tackle our mounting problem of tyre waste,” Mr Bayley said.
“It’s the ultimate circular economy when we can reduce tyre waste – one of Australia’s biggest waste problems – recover carbon from that waste and then use that carbon to build and repair our roads, all with clean emissions.”