Fossil fuels, particularly crude oil, have proven to be a source of energy to households, transportation and power industries over the past decades.

Some of today’s modern life challenges include addressing the increased waste generation and energy deficiencies. Waste tyres have been identified as one of the key environmental concerns due to their non-biodegradable nature and bulk storage space demand. Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process with the potential to address the growing waste tyre problem, energy deficits, and material recovery by converting waste tyres to pyrolysis oil that can be used as a fuel. This study seeks to critically evaluate the feasibility of constructing and operating a waste tyre processing facility and then subsequently marketing and selling the pyrolysis secondary end products by developing a financial business model. The model encompasses costing, procurement, installation, commissioning, and operating a batch pyrolysis plant in Gauteng, South Africa. To achieve the study objectives, an order of magnitude costing method was used for model construction. The results showed the feasibility and sustainability of operating a 3.5 tonne per day batch waste tyre pyrolysis plant in Gauteng Province, South Africa, with a 15-year life span and a projected payback period of approximately 5 years. It was concluded that for the pyrolysis plant to be successful, further treatment steps are required to improve the process economics; also, a stable and sustainable product market should exist and be regulated in South Africa.

Global waste generation, particularly waste tyres, is a significant issue, with South Africa contributing significantly to this problem. In 2021, 1.5 billion waste tyres were generated, with an expected 4.3% annual increase. South Africa's waste management sector faces challenges due to socioeconomic, environmental, and institutional pressures. The study employed a triangular methodological approach to collect data, which involved using various waste tyre statistical reports and organisations, analysing data from both national and provincial vehicle information, and interpreting and consolidating the resulting trends. The study found that from 2016 to 2022, the country converted 72.7% of its new tyre sales into waste tyres, additionally, 31.5% were recovered and processed. At a provincial level, four provinces, namely Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga, accounted for 74% of the waste tyres generated nationwide. Moreover, South Africa adopted various diversion methods, including exporting, reuse, material and energy recovery, and pyrolysis; with Gauteng implementing all strategies and Mpumalanga implementing only two strategies due to capacity constraints. The study concluded that there is a need for formalised waste tyre collection and processing facilities, especially in rural and less developed provinces. This work recommends further research to ascertain the capacities of waste tyre processing facilities in the five remaining provinces to provide a holistic review of tyre management nationally. Additionally, it suggests an investigation into the environmental impacts of the identified and quantified waste tyre management strategies employed in all provinces. This will support decision-makers in identifying the most sustainable and ecologically friendly tyre management technologies.