ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—An Albuquerque-based tire pyrolysis systems company has built three pyrolysis plants in Asia and has more in the works for Europe and North America, according to the firm's president. Operations began in mid-March in Taipei Hsien, Taiwan, for the latest facility built by Titan Technologies Inc. The owners of the plant licensed the technology through Dongkook Steel, a South Korean industrial firm which acts as Titan's marketing agent in Asia, said Titan President Ronald L. Wilder.
Titan constructed its first Asian pyrolysis facility for Dongkook in Chengju, South Korea. A second South Korean facility closed when the operating company went bankrupt for reasons unrelated to Titan or tire recycling, Mr. Wilder said. ``When the (South Korean) economy went bad, they did too.''
Titan has its own patented mechanical system for pyrolysis, the process in which scrap tire rubber is broken down under very high heat into its component oil, steel and carbon black. Titan's plants are capable of handling about 10,000 shredded scrap tires a day, Mr. Wilder said.
The continuous-feed Titan system operates at much lower temperatures than other pyrolysis processes—about 450 degrees Fahrenheit—which ensures the high quality of the resulting products, he said.
Titan bought the process from its inventor about 10 years ago, then made improvements to the discharge and feeder systems. Those improvements are ``the key to our system,'' Mr. Wilder said.
Mr. Wilder said he anticipates closing a deal soon to build a facility near Birmingham, England, and has another deal pending in Austria.
Also, Titan has granted a license to Envirotire, a newly formed subsidiary of EEI Construction in Yorba Linda, Calif. Envirotire will be in charge of Titan's North American territory, said Envirotire and EEI President Leif Erickson.
Envirotire plans to build several pyrolysis plants across the continent, Mr. Erickson said. ``We've done quite a bit of site analysis, located a number of sites and negotiated deals to put them in place,'' he said. ``Since our license is continent-wide, we'll build plants wherever it makes economic sense.''
The company is waiting on environmental and economic analyses for each of the locations, Mr. Erickson said. ``We have various sites in various stages of development, but the first approvals should come soon.''