Australian Tyre Processors (ATP) invest in cutting-edge new waste shredding technology

Australian Tyre Processors (ATP) – part of Pearl Global – has invested in cutting-edge new waste shredding technology, as the innovative firm advances its national resource recovery strategy.

ATP has procured the UNTHA XR3000C mobil-e from waste management equipment specialist FOCUS Enviro – the exclusive Australian distribution partner for the global shredding giant.

The movable machine with two energy-efficient 132kW motors will be used to process car/passenger tyres down to a homogenous 50mm output. This resulting fraction – produced to an exacting specification – enables ATP to supply a thermal desorption process to create fuel oils, clean gas for electricity generation, steel and carbon, with no harmful emissions.

With the shredder also configured to handle truck tyres and pre-cut OTRs (off-the-road tyres), the XR3000C will provide a flexible piece of processing equipment that can transform end-of-life tyres into other products that can be used for road base, tip cover, landscaping and playground safety surfaces.

The shredder investment follows an announcement from Cameron Dick (Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning) in June 2019, which revealed that ATP had received a grant from the Queensland government’s Resource Recovery Industry Development Program (RRIDP). With Mr Dick quoted at the time as saying: “We are on the cusp of a recycling and resource recovery boom,” ATP match funded this six-figure sum so that a total $1.6m was invested into the company’s new tyre processing plant.

Commenting on the opportunities associated with such innovative tyre processing, Mick Carroll, director of ATP said: “It is reported that, every year, 1.5 billion tyres reach their end of life globally. However, it is also feared that more than 60% are landfilled, stockpiled, illegally dumped or ‘lost’ from the resource chain. Australia accounts for 51 million of that vast figure, but only 5% of our country’s end-of-life tyres are recycled locally.

“This is therefore a significant waste problem – but also an opportunity – on both a national and international level.”

Mr Carroll is a noted professional in this industry, not least because he is also the owner director of Carroll Tyres.

FOCUS Enviro’s Managing Director Robbie McKernan explained: “Mick’s team is expertly placed to revolutionise tyre processing in Australia because they touch almost every element of the supply chain. Their pioneering mindset – not to mention their grasp of the commercial and environmental benefits of this circular business model – means they have turned a difficult waste challenge into a process with vast resource potential.”

Offering a concluding insight into the capabilities of the XR3000C shredder, Gary Moore, UNTHA’s Director of Global Business Development said: “This mobile machine is designed to process even the most complex of products, in order to liberate the valuable materials that could so easily remain ‘locked’ inside and be sent to landfill.

“With the world’s raw materials rapidly depleting – and businesses and consumers alike demanding more environmentally responsible solutions – this is a fantastic example of clever engineering and innovative thinking coming together to change the face of the industry.”