Upgrading scrap tires derived oil into value-added products for the mining industry

Following the COP21 conference in Paris on the fight against climate change, Québec has made significant commitments to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The goal is to reduce these emissions by 37.5% below 1990 levels by 2030. In order to meet these ambitious targets, the evolution of the current energy scenario towards the use of alternative sources of carbon, such as residues of lignocellulosic biomass, energy crops as well as waste is inevitable. The use of waste as a source of energy is particularly interesting because it represents a problem to manage. Among the various types of waste produced in the province, scrap tires are especially challenging, in particular scrap tires from the mining industry due to their size, composition and accessibility, which increases the cost of the potential upgrading techniques. According to the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada, approximately 80,000 units of this type of tire are produced annually in Quebec, highlighting the need to valorize them.
This project, which will be developed in partnership with the companies KrownCorp and GestionVFC, aims at upgrading scrap tires from the mining industry that will be transformed using a reverse polymerization process producing an oil that can be used in the production of liquid fuels such as diesel and jetfuel. However, this oil must be treated to meet the requirements of the final chosen product. The different steps of this upgrading process will be developed during this project, while using secondary products from the reverse polymerization process and/or other low cost materials, minimizing the costs associated with each step of the process. This new technology for energy recovery from scrap tires will help Quebec to achieve its GHG emission reduction targets while contributing to the management of this waste in Quebec.