PCAS : Promising contract entered into by Protéus and Michelin for developing innovative uses of end-of-life tires

Promising contract entered into by Protéus, a PCAS subsidiary,
and Michelin for developing innovative uses of end-of-life tires

Longjumeau, January 29, 2014

Through its subsidiary Protéus, a biotechnology firm specialized in the production of microbial enzymes and strains for industry, the PCAS Group has just signed a major contract with the Michelin Group.

As part of the TREC (Tyre Recycling) project, driven by the Michelin Group, Protéus will contribute to the development of two innovative uses of end-of-life tires together with CEA, The French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission, and SDTech, a company specialized in micro-powders.

The 8-year TREC project is backed by a ?51 million budget, including ?13.3 million of funding from ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency) to Michelin and SDTech. The project has two processes: TREC Regeneration and TREC Alcohol, in which Protéus biotechnologies play a major role.

TREC Regeneration

In this first process, Protéus, SDTech and Michelin are working together in order to conduct micronization and selective devulcanization using biotechnologies to create a micropowder that can be used as a raw material in the production of new high-performance tires.

TREC Alcohol

For this second process, Michelin, the CEA and Protéus will develop a sequence of technologies spanning from used tire gasification to syngas fermentation in order to produce alcohol.

In light of the growth forecasts for the global tire market, demand for raw materials will increase considerably in the coming decades. The PCAS Group is thus particularly delighted to participate into this process through its subsidiary Protéus.

"We are proud to be involved in this major project", says PCAS Chairman's Christian Moretti. "Our subsidiary Protéus has very high growth potential; it has developed an impressive collection of microorganisms, enzymes and bioprocesses that lay the foundation of tomorrow's green chemistry. In the field of recycling, this agreement with the Michelin Group is both an apotheosis and the start of a tremendous industrial adventure".