Recovered carbon material
Targeted for qualification and industrial reuse, with development toward higher-value reinforcing grades.
ThermoSteam
Steam Thermolysis for Circular Tyre Recovery in Spain
We convert end-of-life tyres into recoverable secondary material streams using a controlled steam-thermolysis process.
ThermoSteam is a women-led Spanish deep-tech startup preparing the first Spanish reference project to prove three outcomes in one place: continuous operation, permitting and emissions compliance, and buyer acceptance of recovered products under EU-aligned methods.
ThermoSteam holds exclusive rights to commercialise its patented technology across Europe and the Americas.
Recognition
Winner of Prix La Chambre 2026 — Startup Award
ThermoSteam was recognised by La Chambre for its innovative approach to circular tyre recovery and its relevance for the Spanish-French industrial ecosystem.
Awarded in Madrid in 2026, this recognition adds external validation from a leading French-Spanish business community.
Why Spain needs a material-recovery route for tyres
- Spain already has regulated ELT collection and significant annual volumes. The harder challenge is returning tyre-derived materials to industrial value chains with stable quality, traceability and buyer acceptance.
- Energy recovery manages tyre waste, but it does not preserve carbon materials for industrial reuse. At the same time, some rubber-crumb outlets face tighter EU restrictions, reinforcing the case for higher-value material recovery.
- Industrial users need repeatable properties, defined QA/QC methods and sufficient test data before recovered carbon and liquid fractions can be qualified.
- The opportunity is to keep carbon materials in industrial loops and turn end-of-life tyres into measurable secondary raw materials rather than one-way waste streams.
What circular tyre recovery means in practice
Circular recovery means converting end-of-life tyres into measurable secondary material streams that industrial buyers can test, qualify and reuse, rather than only extracting energy from waste.
How common routes differ
- Mechanical treatment: useful for size reduction and separation, but some rubber-crumb applications face regulatory pressure and can remain lower-value outlets.
- Co-processing and energy recovery: recover energy, but do not preserve the carbon material itself for industrial reuse.
- Conventional tyre pyrolysis: can produce recoverable outputs, but commercial reuse still depends on consistent specifications, QA/QC and buyer qualification.
- ThermoSteam focus: controlled steam thermolysis designed around repeatable product streams and industrial qualification.
STEAM THERMOLYSIS · INDUSTRIAL DEPLOYMENT
How the technology works and why it matters for deployment
ThermoSteam uses a controlled thermochemical conversion process in which shredded tyres are processed in superheated steam under defined reactor conditions. Vapours are condensed and separated into product streams, while the solid carbon material is prepared for downstream qualification.
Built on more than a decade of scientific and engineering development in steam thermolysis, the technology combines an established technical foundation with a focused path toward industrial deployment in Spain.
Steam is used as an active process medium, giving the process an additional control lever through steam flow, temperature and residence time.
The engineering objective is not simply conversion, but a reproducible operating window that supports stable performance, traceable product characterisation and buyer qualification.
Liquid hydrocarbons
A recoverable liquid fraction with high calorific value and potential as an industrial feedstock or refinery precursor.
Steel and process gas
Recovered steel remains a material stream, while process gas can support the energy balance of the system.
Why steam supports process control and repeatability
Steam supports heat transfer across the feedstock and gives operators a direct process lever through controlled steam flow. Under defined conditions, this helps structure a repeatable operating window rather than relying on a single one-off yield result.
Commercially, the goal is predictable product streams that can be specified, tested and accepted by industrial buyers. The Spanish demonstrator is therefore being designed as both an operating project and a validation platform.
Process conditions and control
- Controlled steam input and temperature window.
- Continuous feed and defined residence time.
- Separated solid and vapour pathways.
- Material balance, steam demand and operating data.
Product quality and deployment relevance
- Repeatable yields and product characteristics.
- Defined QA/QC, sampling and traceability.
- Buyer trials and agreed acceptance criteria.
- Engineering evidence for replication.
Partner-hosted deployment in Spain
Many Spanish operators already have regulated feedstock access, site infrastructure and operational teams. ThermoSteam is now advancing the technology from validated laboratory operation to its first industrial reference deployment in Spain.
In this model, ThermoSteam provides the technology, know-how and deployment support, while the host partner provides the site, feedstock and operating platform.
- Commissioning guidance and operating envelope definition.
- QA/QC framework, onboarding and team training.
- Engineering know-how and digital monitoring support.
Partners host, finance and operate the unit, creating a bankable reference model for replication at future partner sites.
For tyre operators and recycling companies
Turn residual tyre fractions into recoverable circular material streams using existing industrial infrastructure where site integration is feasible.
What we are seeking now
- A host operator to co-define the site integration scope, feedstock logistics, responsibilities, timeline and permitting pathway for the 1,000 t/y demonstrator.
- A structured pilot MoU covering the site, feedstock, responsibilities and implementation schedule.
Operational validation and control limits
The demonstrator is structured as a validation platform, not only as an equipment installation.
Operating data will be used to confirm continuous operation, material balance, steam demand, temperature control and stable product yields under defined feedstock conditions.
- Continuous operating windows.
- Material balance and yield stability.
- Steam demand and thermal control.
- Sampling and traceability procedures.
The objective is to define acceptable operating limits that can be documented and transferred to future partner sites.
Operating partners
For research, testing and validation partners
We are building a Spain reference dataset for industrial deployment, covering product characterisation, emissions monitoring and an LCA-ready measurement approach aligned with EU methods.
- Materials characterisation and QA/QC protocol development for recovered carbon.
- LCA and impact verification under monitored operation in Spain.
- Data engineering and process monitoring to support replication across partner sites.
Our goal: applied science with direct industrial uptake and documented benchmarks that support buyer acceptance and permitting-ready replication.
Testing partners
For investors and industrial buyers
ThermoSteam is building a capital-light deep-tech deployment model, scaling primarily through licensing and partner-operated sites while retaining flexibility to participate directly in selected projects.
What is already validated
- Validated at TRL 5 through continuous laboratory campaigns using real end-of-life tyre feedstock, supported by documented product characterisation and campaign data.
What we are proving next in Spain
- Permitting and emissions compliance pathway.
- Continuous operational KPIs on a Spanish site.
- Buyer acceptance through structured testing and written commitments.
The Spanish reference unit is intended to become a replication engine for future partner-operated deployments.
≈33–34%Recovered carbon material
≈47–48%Liquid fraction
≈10%Recovered steel
≈10–15%Process gas
Indicative historical ranges. Final commercial specifications depend on feedstock, operating conditions and the qualification programme.
Current execution priorities
- Host-site alignment and a pilot MoU.
- Buyer testing and initial off-take commitments.
- An investor- and partner-ready package covering site, compliance and buyer-validation evidence.
PROJECT DRIVERS
Team behind ThermoSteam
CONTACT
Build the first Spanish reference project with us
We are speaking with industrial operators, testing partners, buyers, engineering teams and investors working across tyre recycling and circular materials.
ThermoSteam, S.L.
Spain · International deployment
ceo@thermosteam.eu.com LinkedIn Contact ThermoSteam