Bolder secures final permits for Europe’s first large-scale waste tire pyrolysis plant in Antwerp

US-based waste tire pyrolysis specialist Bolder Industries has secured final regulatory approval to build its first European commercial-scale plant in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium. The facility, backed by the EU Innovation Fund and co-funded by Tiger Infrastructure Partners, has received ‘final permitting’ for an 86 kilotonne per annum (ktpa) design capacity site that will process end-of-life tires (ELTs) into recovered carbon black (rCB) branded as BolderBlack and pyrolysis oil branded as BolderOil. The project will be rolled out in two phases: Phase 1 will deliver a 43ktpa processing line and create over 50 jobs in the Antwerp region, while Phase 2 will double capacity to the full 86ktpa. No public objections were raised during mandatory consultation periods. At full capacity, the plant is designed to divert nearly 6 million ELTs annually from landfill or incineration and cut lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% compared with virgin carbon black production. Over its first decade, the facility is estimated to reduce 606 kilotonnes of CO₂e. Bolder claims its continuous thermal pyrolysis process recovers 98% of each tire’s material content. CEO Tony Wibbeler called the permit a ‘key milestone’ for both Bolder and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, marking a disciplined step in expanding the company’s European footprint. The Antwerp plant complements Bolder’s existing commercial operations in Maryville, Missouri, and Terre Haute, Indiana.