Construction starts at Wastefront’s tyre-to-SAF facility in Sunderland

Wastefront announced that it has begun construction on its waste tyre-to-fuel facility at the Port of Sunderland for the production of tyre derived oil to be refined into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The facility’s first commercial phase will begin at the end of 2026, with the second phase launching in 2027.

“Wastefront is delivering an innovative project to focus on two key issues: tyre waste and aviation emissions,” said Vianney Vales, CEO, Wastefront.

“Our circular process not only prevents millions of tyres from being discarded in landfills but also provides a scalable, cost-effective pathway for SAF production. This process will also reduce lifecycle emissions by more than 80% compared to fossil fuels. The Sunderland facility is just the beginning – we aim to expand rapidly to meet the growing demand for sustainable fuels

Once operational, the plant will process 10m end-of-life tyres annually – making it the largest facility of its kind in Europe – converting them into tyre-derived oil for refining into SAF and other sustainable fuels.

In the first phase, the company will produce a 30% SAF yield from tyre derived oil through co-processing at third-party refineries. However, by 2030, when all four tyre-to-fuel plants are operational, Wastefront’s dedicated process will achieve a 70% conversion rate of oil into SAF.

With around 55m tyres reaching the end of their life per year in the UK, Wastefront’s fully circular process will address a pressing waste issue.

The facility will utilise heating process without oxygen called pyrolysis technology to convert end-of-life tyres into tyre-derived oil, which will be refined into SAF.

The company said that it’s “system is self-sustaining, recycling the gases generated during pyrolysis to power its operations. By 2030, Wastefront aims to operate four large-scale plants, collectively producing 128,000 tonnes of oil annually – enough to yield approximately 90,000 tonnes of SAF.”

Earlier in January, International Airline Group (IAG), parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, LEVEL, IAG Loyalty and IAG Cargo, announced investment into Wastefront. 

If you want to learn more about what Wastefront are doing, click here to read our interview with company’s CEO Vianney Valès.