Viva Energy has successfully processed 10 tonnes of tyre pyrolysis oil alongside crude oil to produce a full range of fuels and products at its Geelong Refinery.
This follows the refinery processing a similar quantity of pyrolysis oil derived from waste plastic in May.
The development, says Viva Energy, is a significant step in plans to establish tyre-recycling in Melbourne. For this demonstration, the tyre pyrolysis oil was imported from Poland with appropriate approvals from the Australian government – it is currently not available domestically.
Earlier this year, Viva Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with Klean Industries, a Canadian resource recovery and advanced recycling provider, to study the potential to create a tyre-recycling facility in Melbourne capable of processing up to 80,000 tonnes of used tyres per year.
The recycling facility proposed by Klean would extract three products from tyres: recovered carbon black (rCB), steel, and biogenic pyrolysis oil. Under the agreement, Viva Energy would take the biogenic pyrolysis oil for processing at Geelong Refinery, allowing it to create lower-carbon intensity fuels.
Viva Energy says its successful processing of tyre pyrolysis oil not only signals progress for Australia’s own sustainable fuel industry but also brings the country in line with global efforts to advance circular economies.
Tyre pyrolysis oil is already recognised in the EU as a low-carbon alternative to traditional fuels and feedstocks. Australia currently doesn’t recognise lower-carbon fuels made via co-processing, meaning the associated carbon reduction benefits can’t be claimed by Viva Energy’s customers.
Viva Energy Chief Strategy Officer Lachlan Pfeiffer says that’s something that could change with the right policy settings.
“The refinery’s ability to process pyrolysis oil from both tyres and waste plastic demonstrates the versatility of our facility and our commitment to supporting a lower-carbon future,” he says.
“Viva Energy is proud to play a role in the production of lower-carbon fuels and products and reduce the number of tyres that go into landfill.
“The project can only proceed if the regulatory landscape encourages businesses to progress these important initiatives.”
