Circtec opens Delfzijl tyre pyrolysis recycling plant
- Phase 1 at Delfzijl is operational, recycling 50,000 tonnes/year of end-of-life tyres.
- Phase 2 will expand modularly to 200,000 tonnes/year, equating to about 6% of European waste-tyre volumes.
- Outputs include HUPA marine fuel, circular naphtha, recovered carbon black (rCB) and tyre pyrolysis oil, with offtakes from bp and Birla Carbon.
- The project closed a €150 million funding round in May 2024 backed by Novo Holdings and A.P. Moller Holding.
Plant and capacity
Circtec completed Phase 1 of its end-of-life tyre pyrolysis recycling facility at Delfzijl and has started operations processing 50,000 tonnes per year of waste tyres. Construction of Phase 2 is planned to begin later this year and will expand the plant modularly to a total designed capacity of 200,000 tonnes per year.
Products and offtake
The CIFR™ pyrolysis and upgrading process produces HUPA™ sustainable marine fuel, circular naphtha for plastics, high-quality recovered carbon black (rCB) for tyres and plastics, and tyre pyrolysis oil as feedstock for petrochemical plants and refineries. Birla Carbon has contracted the rCB output and bp has contracted the HUPA, circular naphtha and tyre pyrolysis oil.
Scale and environmental impact
The Delfzijl plant follows a 15-year technology and product development programme and, at full designed capacity, will process roughly 6% of European waste tyres annually. An ISO-standard Life Cycle Assessment indicates the investment is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to about 3% of the Netherlands' chemical industry sector when operating at full scale.
Financing and opening
The project secured €150 million in May 2024 from Novo Holdings and A.P. Moller Holding. King Willem-Alexander formally opened the plant on 27 January 2026, initiating operations by loading tyres into a CIFR reactor; national and regional ministers, company partners and local stakeholders attended the ceremony.
Source: Circtec