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AZUR PARTNERS DAY
DEMONSTRATES GROWING INTEREST IN SUSTAINABILITY CREDENTIALS OF RETREADING
The AZUR Partners Day 2024 was held on Thursday, 11 May, at the headquarters of Industrial Gas supplier Messer SE & Co KG in Krefeld, Germany. Network Coordinator Christina Guth and her team demonstrated the rapid growth of the Germany-based tyre sustainability network and continued growing interest in the sustainability of retreading.
The event had around 70 attendees, including retreaders and sup- pliers to the retreading industry, tyre recyclers and collectors, and representatives of research institutes, universities, and other bodies interested in the tyre retreading and recycling process.
The event’s keynote speaker was Dr Thomas Muller-Kirschbaum from the Circular Economy Research Foundation and think tank Cir- cular Valley, who gave insight into the future of circular value crea- tion.
“Recycling is crucial for purchasing decisions,” he said during his pres- entation. “It is high time to act, and there are excellent products for and with tyres that make the difference—retreaded tyres, fall pro- tection mats made from secondary raw materials, and more.”
MESSER KG CRYOGENIC GRINDING PLANT
During the event, AZUR Partners were also given a guided tour of Messer’s Krefeld facility, including the company’s cryogenic cold grinding plant and recycling laboratory. Cryogenic grinding can sep- arate composites such as fibre or wire-reinforced elastomers such as tyre granules. It is difficult to separate these materials effectively
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