Circtec to Expand Dutch Recycling Plant to Process 100,000 Tonnes of Used Tires

2026-10-15 green

Groningen, Thursday, 15 October 2026.
Green recycler Circtec is expanding its Delfzijl facility by adding 22 parallel reactors over three years, aiming to process over 100,000 tonnes of end-of-life tires annually.

Scaling Pyrolysis Operations in Delfzijl

Clean technology developer Circtec is executing a commercial expansion at its recycling facility located in Delfzijl, Netherlands [2][4]. The company, which initiated the startup of its first reactors in early 2026, currently operates six pyrolysis reactors that process discarded car tires into liquid products and recovered carbon black [2][4]. To reach commercial scale, Circtec intends to install 22 additional reactors over the next three years, ultimately aiming for a combined processing capacity exceeding 100,000 tonnes of rubber tire waste annually [2][3]. The full design for the site envisions a modular setup with 28 parallel pyrolysis reactors, capable of processing up to 180,000 tonnes of rubber tire shreds per year [4].

Technical Process and Value Chain Logistics

Circtec’s modular strategy relies on duplicating established reactor dimensions from a Polish demonstration plant—which has operated with two parallel units for over ten years—rather than building single, larger units that carry increased technological risk [4]. Each reactor in the Delfzijl facility processes 1.3 tonnes of rubber tire shreds per hour [4]. The resulting output yields 40% Recovered Carbon Black for tire production, 40% vapors split via steam distillation into circular naphtha and marine fuel, with the remaining fraction utilized as process fuel [4]. The capital-intensive facility also incorporates flue gas cleaning infrastructure to comply with low emission requirements, representing the most expensive installation on site [4].

Regional Industrial Ecosystem and Feedstock Sourcing

Feedstock for the initial phase is largely supplied by sister company Granuband, covering an amount equal to 50% of all discarded passenger car tires in the Netherlands [4]. As the facility expands, Circtec aims to source feedstock across the broader European Union, where approximately 3.5 million tonnes of car tires are discarded each year [4]. Paul Compagne, Director of Regional Affairs at Circtec, noted during an industry presentation that the region faces no shortage of feedstock [2][3]. The expansion was previously supported by 28 million euros in grants secured for its first operational phase [2][3].

Strategic Advantages and Regional Scale-Up Challenges

Circtec’s expansion was featured alongside other First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) industrial projects in Groningen during the Plant Manager of the Year 2026 event [2][6]. Companies like BioBTX and Avantium have similarly selected the Delfzijl region due to favorable industrial conditions, such as available utility connections, land, and limited electricity grid congestion [4]. However, industrial developments in the region face localized operational hurdles; site leadership at neighboring facilities like Nobian highlighted severe labor shortages for specialized roles, including high-voltage engineers and fitters, which impact the broader industrial ecosystem in Northern Netherlands [2][3].

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