Recovered carbon black is moving beyond its niche position in tyre recycling as manufacturers seek lower-carbon raw materials and stronger circular supply chains. Market forecasts point to rapid growth, although commercial adoption will depend on consistent quality, greater production capacity and the successful qualification of recovered material for demanding tyre compounds.
The recovered carbon black market remains small compared with the conventional carbon black sector. However, two recent forecasts indicate that it is expanding considerably faster.
Grand View Research valued the global market at USD 259.3 million in 2024. It expects the market to reach USD 409.0 million in 2026 and USD 706.5 million by 2030. That represents a compound annual growth rate of 16.4 per cent between 2025 and 2030.
Mordor Intelligence measures the sector by production volume rather than revenue. Its forecast puts the market at 138.21 kilotonnes in 2026, rising to 363.70 kilotonnes by 2031. The forecast represents annual growth of 21.35 per cent.
Differences between the estimates reflect their methodologies, definitions and measurement units. However, both point towards rising capacity, investment and customer demand.
For the tyre trade, the figures suggest recovered carbon black is becoming an industrial raw-material market rather than a marginal recycling outlet.
Tyres are central to the recovered carbon black proposition. End-of-life tyres provide the feedstock, while new tyres represent one of the most commercially significant potential destinations.
Carbon black reinforces tyre compounds and contributes to durability, abrasion resistance and mechanical strength. Replacing part of the virgin material therefore requires more than recovering carbon from waste.
Producers must control ash content, particle characteristics, surface properties and batch consistency. Material must also be tested within specific rubber formulations before a tyre manufacturer can approve it.
Grand View Research said improvements in pyrolysis and recovery processes are helping producers improve the efficiency and quality of recovered carbon black. That development will be critical if the material is to enter more demanding tyre applications.
Tyre News has already reported how Michelin used recovered carbon black in its Le Mans racing tyres. The application demonstrated that qualified material can reach a technically demanding product rather than remaining limited to lower-value rubber goods.
The strongest long-term case for recovered carbon black is its role within a closed-loop tyre system.
During tyre pyrolysis, end-of-life tyres are heated without oxygen. This produces several outputs, including recovered carbon black, tyre pyrolysis oil and recovered steel.
After further processing, recovered carbon black can replace a proportion of virgin carbon black in new rubber products. This retains more material value within the tyre supply chain and reduces dependence on fossil-derived inputs.
The approach could also support tyre manufacturers seeking to lower supply-chain emissions. Raw-material production contributes to a tyre’s wider environmental footprint, placing greater attention on recycled and renewable inputs.
Continental, for example, plans to increase the renewable and recycled content of its tyres to at least 40 per cent by 2030. Its material programme includes pyrolysis oil alongside other circular feedstocks.
This broader transition means recovered carbon black must be considered alongside certified polymers, renewable oils and responsibly sourced natural rubber.
Commercial supply remains one of the sector’s main constraints. Many recovered carbon black operations are still moving from demonstration plants to sustained industrial production.
Recent investments indicate that capacity is beginning to move into a larger tier. Tyre News reported that Bolder Industries secured support for an Antwerp recycling plant designed to process more than six million end-of-life tyres annually.
In China, Niutech subsidiary Shandong Hesheng is adding 100,000 tonnes of annual tyre pyrolysis capacity. The project would increase the operation’s total capacity to 160,000 tonnes a year.
Longxing Technology Group has also begun supplying nearly 10,000 tonnes of sustainable carbon black to an unnamed European tyre manufacturer following customer approval. The reported order illustrates the scale that qualified alternative carbon black could begin to reach.
However, project announcements do not automatically translate into qualified tyre-grade output. Plants must operate reliably while meeting customer specifications across repeated production batches.
Recovered carbon black is unlikely to replace virgin carbon black across tyre production in one step.
Initial adoption is more likely to involve partial substitution in selected compounds. Manufacturers can then increase the proportion as performance evidence, availability and commercial terms improve.
Different tyre components also have different technical requirements. A recovered grade suitable for one compound may not meet the reinforcement or processing needs of another.
This creates opportunities for specialised producers capable of upgrading and classifying their output. It also places testing laboratories, compounders and certification providers in an important position within the emerging supply chain.
The distinction between raw pyrolysis char and processed recovered carbon black will become increasingly significant. Customers will expect defined specifications, traceability and evidence of consistent performance.
Europe is well placed to support recovered carbon black development because of its established end-of-life tyre collection systems and circular-economy policies.
Manufacturers operating in the region are also facing greater scrutiny over recycled content, emissions and supply-chain transparency. Certification systems such as ISCC PLUS are consequently gaining relevance for circular raw-material streams.
Tyre News recently reported that Hankook expanded its ISCC PLUS-certified manufacturing network, linking the certification with recycled materials and greater supply-chain transparency.
Recovered carbon black may also find customers outside tyre manufacturing. Industrial rubber products, plastics, coatings and other applications could broaden demand and provide outlets for different material grades.
That diversity may help producers build scale while tyre qualification programmes continue.
For tyre manufacturers, recovered carbon black is becoming a materials and procurement issue. It offers potential reductions in fossil feedstock use, greater circularity and an additional route towards recycled-content targets.
For recyclers and pyrolysis operators, the commercial opportunity depends on moving beyond waste treatment. Higher-value growth will come from producing consistent material that tyre compounders can approve and use repeatedly.
Suppliers and distributors may also gain a role in quality management, technical support and the development of reliable regional supply.
The market forecasts should still be treated cautiously. Growth projections do not remove the technical and financial risks facing new plants.
Nevertheless, activity across motorsport tyres, supply agreements and commercial-scale recycling projects indicates that the sector is advancing. Recovered carbon black is moving closer to the centre of the tyre industry’s circular-materials discussion.
Tagged with: recovered carbon black, tyre recycling, tyre pyrolysis, circular materials, sustainable tyres, carbon black market, end-of-life tyres, recycled raw materials, tyre manufacturing, Scope 3 emissions, rubber compounds, circular economy
Disclaimer: This content may include forward-looking statements. Views expressed are not verified or endorsed by Tyre News Media.
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