Antwerp, Belgium – Two waste recycling pioneers, including end-of-life tire (ELT) processor Bolder Industries, are investing in port of Antwerp’s NextGen District – a former 88-hectare General Motors plant being repurposed for circular activities.
Boulder, Colorado-based Bolder Industries, and Antwerp-based Triple Helix have committed to set up plants at the new district, with a total investment size of €100 million, said the Port of Antwerp in a statement 17 Jan.
The two plants, expected to become operational in 2023-2024, will generate at least 70 new jobs.
The planned recycling unit is the latest in a series of expansion moves by Bolder, which processes ELTs to recovered carbon black (BolderBlack), process oil (BolderOil) and steel (BolderSteel).
In October last year, the recycler raised $80 million in equity and an additional $100 million in committed project-level funding for its scale-up plans.
At the time, the company signalled “immediate plans” for additional product facilities in the US, Europe, and other parts of the world.
Bolder's process is claimed to use 98% of a waste tire’s materials, recovering 75% of solids and liquids for the manufacture of new tires, rubber goods and plastics.
Triple Helix is also set to build a factory to convert polyurethane foam from items such as discarded mattresses, insulation panels and car seats, as well as post-consumer PET from the retail and food industries, into polyols.
These “pure chemicals” can then be reused, in the production of new polyurethane products
"The signing of these first two concessionaires represents a milestone for NextGen District and for Port of Antwerp,” said Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp.
“With this, we are taking another important step forward in our pioneering role in the context of the climate transition,” she added.
Also commenting, Tony Wibbeler, CEO Bolder Industries said the strategic location of the plant will enable the company “to better serve our global customers and make a meaningful contribution to the circular economy.”