en.Wedoany.com Reported - Bolder Industries will build its first European manufacturing facility, a commercial-scale recovered carbon black production base, in the NextGen district of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium, and has obtained the final construction permit.
Bolder Industries, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA, completed the permitting process in collaboration with OSQB, United Experts, Antea Group, and Cyclops, and is now advancing contractor selection.
The plant will produce ISCC PLUS-certified BolderBlack and BolderOil, both of which are mass-balanced and commercially available, currently in commercial use among Bolder's North American customers.
BolderBlack is a sustainable and traceable recovered carbon black, validated in over 3,000 commercial applications across sectors such as tires, rubber products, plastics, inks, and coatings. BolderOil is an advanced pyrolysis oil used as a low-carbon feedstock for fuel, industrial process applications, and chemical production.
The permit covers a plant design capacity of 86,000 metric tons, which will utilize Bolder's proprietary continuous thermal pyrolysis process to produce BolderBlack and BolderOil, recovering approximately 98% of the material components from each tire. The plant will be built in two phases.
Phase 1 will bring the annual design capacity of Bolder's European plant to 43,000 metric tons and create over 50 jobs in the Antwerp region; Phase 2 will expand to full capacity.
Bolder stated that once the plant reaches full operation, it will process approximately 6 million end-of-life tires annually. Compared to virgin carbon black production, the process reduces full lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% and avoids approximately 606,000 metric tons of CO2e emissions over the first decade.
No objections were raised during the statutory public consultation period, which the company said reflects strong support from the community and stakeholders.
"The NextGen district was designed precisely for this type of infrastructure—facilities that turn sustainability goals into operational reality," said Rob Smeets, CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. "Bolder Industries has demonstrated the technical credibility and collaborative discipline required to build a plant of this scale. We are proud to support Antwerp's role in Europe's transition to circular raw material production."
The plant is co-funded by the EU Innovation Fund, one of the world's largest demonstration programs for innovative low-carbon technologies, financed by revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System and managed by CINEA. The plant has also received equity investment from Tiger Infrastructure Partners.
The Innovation Fund supports flagship projects that achieve significant greenhouse gas emission reductions in energy-intensive industries. Bolder said the plant fulfills this mission by demonstrating how large-scale emission reductions in industrial manufacturing can be achieved by replacing fossil fuel-derived virgin carbon black with sustainable, mass-balanced, and traceable alternatives.
"This permit is a major milestone for Bolder Industries and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges," said Tony Wibbeler, CEO of Bolder Industries. "It is a significant step in the rigorous development of our European platform and underscores our commitment to delivering BolderBlack and BolderOil to customers worldwide."
The plant will add European manufacturing capacity to Bolder's existing commercial operations in Maryville, Missouri, and Terre Haute, Indiana.
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