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A process described as breakthrough technology for capturing all the carbon possible from shredded scrap tires has been recognized with a significant honor. Delta-Energy, LLC has received the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Award for Resource Recovery Technology Innovation for development of what’s known as DEPolymerization. “For a number of years the rubber industry has sought a sustainable solution for not only reusing scrap tires, but also recovering valuable raw materials to recycle back into new tires without effecting performance,” says Miriam C. Nagel, Frost & Sullivan research analyst. “Recovery processes in the past resulted in degrading or destroying the valuable materials, most notably carbon black. We found in performing our analysis that Delta-Energy not only has the process but the test data to back it up.” The DEPolymerization process utilizes a patented catalyst system to attack the polymers. The system breaks down the rubber and other polymers into smaller molecular products. Organic additives from the rubber compounds exit in the vapor stream along with the decomposed polymers. What remains in the solid stream is a carbon black rich powder, called D-E Black, with the structure of the carbon blacks preserved. The vapors are condensed to form an organic liquid mix, known as D-E Oil, for use in fuel and chemical applications. Vapors too light to condense, D-E Gas, have a fuel value 20 percent greater than natural gas and can be used as a clean-burning fuel. With key market drivers including the rising cost of raw materials and worldwide demand for green manufacturing initiatives, this technology provides rubber and plastics manufacturers a cost-effective means to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and meet green manufacturing goals by using D-E Black products to supplement virgin carbon black, according to Paul Lee, Delta’s CEO and president. The green story goes beyond the recovery of basic materials; Delta’s product values include a reduction of carbon dioxide generation by more than 70 percent for every one-to-one substitution of carbon black; a net 40 percent greater fuel value than from tire-derived fuel (the largest use of scrap tires in the U.S.); and environmentally friendly packaging that can either be incorporated in compounds with the black products or returned to the company for reuse. “As we continue successful commercialization of our products, it is a great honor to be recognized as a unique innovator by Frost and Sullivan,” says Lee. “This award is an affirmation of our development team’s diligence to finding a solution to carbon black structure preservation when recovering it from scrap tires. Our DEPolymerization technology is a category-changing advancement allowing rubber and plastic manufacturers to create products that are more eco-friendly and cost-effective.” For further information, visit www.deltaenergy.com. |
