Breaking the Cycle of Waste: A Comprehensive Review of ELT Repurposing with a Special Emphasis on Pyrolysis Technology in India

End of life tyres (ELTs) pose a serious environmental threat globally. Presently, incineration, open burning, stockpiling, and disposal in landfills account for nearly 3–4 billion ELTs. It is estimated that one ton of tyres incinerated could generate as high as ~2,270 kg CO2-eqv (GHG emissions) which translates to nearly 3.178 million metric tons (MMT) of emissions from the Indian annual domestic ELT production.

This paper highlights the importance of choosing technologies like pyrolysis to treat ELTs into energy products, thereby providing the dual benefit of avoiding emissions while reducing India's dependence on imported crude oil to meet the energy requirements for India.