A "smart factory" capable of recycling waste tires without causing pollution has been built in central China's Henan Province as the latest innovation to aid China's green drive.
The factory in Runan County, jointly launched by Chinese tiremaker Doublestar Group and 10 universities, aims to tackle the pollution problem long plaguing China's waste tire recycling.
Data shows that China had about 380 million waste tires in 2017 and the number increases by 6-8 percent every year. The country's recycling industry mostly deals with waste tires of trucks and buses by tire retreading, while passenger car tires usually end up in small oil refineries that cause serious pollution.
Southeast University, which led the development team of the project, said they have made breakthroughs in technologies including green pyrolysis from waste tires and carbon black regeneration to render the factory pollution-free.
The 13-hectare factory, with an investment of 330 million yuan (49.3 million U.S. dollars) in the first phase, can handle 100,000 tonnes of waste tires and produce 45,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil and 35,000 tonnes of carbon black per year. Its annual sales are expected to reach 360 million yuan, said Chai Yongsen, president of Doublestar Group.
