Michelin and Knauf Industries products made with recycled styrene generated through Pyrowave technology

MONTREAL — Pyrowave, a Canadian technology company, announced that Michelin and Knauf Industries have produced batches of finished elastomer and plastic products incorporating 100 per cent styrene from plastic waste recycled in Canada using Pyrowave technology.

The tests performed on the resulting elastomers demonstrated quality and intrinsic properties identical to those of elastomers made from virgin fossil-sourced materials.

Michelin, a player in sustainable mobility, has produced a four-ton prototype batch of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) in their Bassens plant in France. The SBR was produced using 100 per cent styrene recycled by Pyrowave and has passed all quality tests with no difference compared with products made from styrene of fossil origin. These tests are a milestone for further tests incorporating Pyrowave recycled styrene in tires for laboratory and track applications to confirm the performance evaluation.

Knauf Industries, a player in expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging, technical parts and insulation products, can also generate expanded polystyrene parts using 100 per cent recycled styrene produced through Pyrowave technology, in this case from the collection operated by Knauf Circular in France. The resulting products passed laboratory tests for performance and quality equivalent to products made with fossil styrene.

Product safety was also validated through migration tests confirming compliance for use in food contact applications. This further demonstrates the feasibility of closed-loop polystyrene using Pyrowave technology.

In both cases, the styrene used originates from recycled sources, and the finished product (EPS or SBR) contains a 100 per cent recycled styrene content. The recycled styrene is present in the product, therefore enabling physical traceability.