BRAZIL:GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

From using ethanol produced from sugarcane as a biofuel to using bagasse, or sugarcane residue, to generate bioelectricity, Brazil has been a world leader in sustainability practices. Faced with the environmental and public health burden posed by discarded tires -- the country is the world’s fifth largest tire market – it is also taking a leadership in tire recycling with a regulation requiring that manufacturers must recycle a used tire for every tire sold. The mandate has created an efficient logistics system for the collection of used tires, but solutions for efficient, economical, environmentally sound disposal have been lacking.

THE WORLD’S LARGEST TIRE-TO-ENERGY FACILITY

O.N.E. is targeting a niche market that has been created by the development of an economically sustainable tire-to-energy plasma gasification technology. The advancement of the technology has created an opportunity to capture a significant share of a global market that is still in its infancy. The Brazil tire recycling facility will serve as a model for creating clean energy from used tires. The facility will process 180,000 used tires annually, representing nearly a third of the tires produced annually in Brazil.The process will also create other revenue streams in the form of recycled metals, sulfur and carbon credits.

TRÊS CORAÇÕES

The plant will be located in Três Corações, one of the largest cities in southern Minas Gerais. The city was chosen for its position as a hub of commerce at the center of a triangle comprised of Brazil’s three largest metropolitan centers – São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte -- which eases the logistics of tire collection. Três Corações is famous as the birthplace of Pelé, known for his accomplishments in soccer -- he played on three of Brazil’s World Cup-winning teams -- and for his support of policies to help the poor. Casa Pelé, where the legendary soccer star was born and raised, and the Pelé Monument are among the city’s top attractions. O.N.E. shares Pelé’s commitment to increasing the standard of living for those at the bottom of the economic ladder: our facility will bring much-needed jobs to the city’s impoverished population.  

While Brazil is in the forefront of tire recycling mandates, other countries won’t be far behind. More than 1 billion tires are manufactured annually worldwide, making discarded tires that pollute soil, water and air and that contribute to the spread of infectious disease a global environmental problem. O.N.E.’s tire recycling facility will set the stage for a new industry that turns high-carbon tire waste into clean power for an energy-hungry world.