Sustainable Development Goals
PROJECT INFORMATION AT A GLANCE:
Project Status:
Operated 2008–2025; divested
Organizations Involved:
Klean Industries, Carbon Resources Recovery, KBR, Oregon DEQ, Rock Enterprises, Port of Morrow, Castle Tire
Services / Equipment:
Design & Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Feasibility Studies
Klean’s work at Boardman helped secure offtake contracts that exceeded the production capacity of several facilities worldwide. That commercial achievement is the enduring value of this project: developing customers for recovered products on a scale that reached far beyond a single site.
The Boardman tire pyrolysis project brought together a substantial US industrial asset, hands-on product testing and the market development needed to turn recovered carbon and oil into a business. Klean acquired the former ReKlaim facility in 2018 and used it as a pilot, testing and tolling center through 2025. The company then divested the site, directing its resources toward global technology licensing, joint ventures and selected strategic developments.
Connect a major tire resource with the products the industry wants to buy
Originally developed in 2008 as a $25 million tire-pyrolysis testing facility, Boardman operated under its predecessor from 2008 to 2016. Klean acquired the assets of the bankrupt ReKlaim Inc. in 2018. The attraction was the industrial location, permits, and the regional tire supply opportunity.
Klean’s development records describe a fully permitted 8-acre site, an additional 10-acre expansion option, and two rail spurs. A partner tire monofill containing approximately five million tonnes of scrap tires lies within a few hours of the facility. These were substantial foundations for a proposed North American flagship in Oregon.
Turning that opportunity into a valuable recycling business required aligning the tire resource with the quality, volume, and delivery requirements of industrial customers. Klean’s work therefore extended from the plant and its proposed redevelopment to the markets for recovered carbon black and tire pyrolysis oil.
Use the facility to develop products and build commercial relationships
Under Klean’s ownership, Boardman served as a pilot plant and a testing and tolling center for recovered carbon black (rCB) and tire pyrolysis oil. This provided Klean with a U.S. location for practical material work while developing the customer relationships needed to support larger-scale commercial production.
The most significant commercial result was the breadth of the offtake secured. Contracts exceeded the production capacity of several facilities worldwide. The work demonstrated Klean’s ability to develop markets beyond the output of a single proposed plant—an important capability for any investor planning multiple facilities or a regional recycling platform.
Develop an industrial-scale recovery proposition
The planned Boardman redevelopment had a design basis of 160 tonnes per day, equivalent to approximately 16,000 passenger-tire equivalents per day at 10 kg per equivalent. Klean’s historical annual redevelopment example described approximately six million tires per year, with the following projected recovery and regional benefits:
These are Klean’s historical redevelopment projections, rather than output from the legacy pilot. The daily design basis and the annual example reflect their respective planning assumptions. They illustrate the scale of the resource-recovery opportunity Klean was developing, with product specifications and downstream processing aligned with the intended customers.
Retain commercial value and redirect capital toward broader deployment
Klean divested Boardman in 2025. COVID-related delays, Liberty Tire’s acquisition of Klean’s regional feedstock supplier, and rising logistics costs altered the relative attractiveness of the development options. Klean’s assessment was that the project remained viable, while licensing and joint ventures offered a higher-return use of its capital.
The decision preserved the value of the experience and market relationships developed through Boardman while allowing Klean to pursue opportunities with greater reach. Its legacy is the product development and global offtake work that could support several facilities.
Scale the CRR technology through KBR
Klean acquired Carbon Resources Recovery’s technology in 2019. Commercially deployed in Poland, this separate technology forms the basis of TyreNova, and is licensed through Klean’s exclusive alliance with KBR. Boardman’s ReKlaim-era pilot equipment is a distinct historical system.
Through the Klean–KBR alliance, KBR leads global sales, marketing, engineering, and project delivery, supported by Klean’s technology development, technical leadership, and operating expertise. Klean’s ambition to develop 15 US facilities remains active, and the alliance provides the engineering and delivery capabilities to pursue that scale.
Klean also continues its strategic joint ventures and selected project ownership. Its Australian flagship development brings together the CEVA and Goodpack logistics opportunities and the Viva Energy refinery connection. That broader integration is central to Klean’s decision on where to deploy its capital and expertise.
1. Klean developed demand beyond a single plant.
Boardman’s commercial work helped secure offtake contracts that exceeded the production capacity of several facilities worldwide.
2. Klean brings direct development experience.
The company acquired and operated a U.S. testing and tolling asset, developed a substantial recovery proposition and adapted its investment strategy as market conditions changed.
3. That experience now enables wider deployment.
The separate CRR technology, KBR alliance and active 15-facility US ambition connect Klean’s commercial know-how to a global delivery platform.
These are selected achievements and lessons. Further technical and commercial insights are available through an engagement with Klean.
A valuable tire recycling project connects feedstock, processing and customers. Boardman demonstrates Klean’s experience across the chain, including the ability to develop product markets beyond a single facility’s capacity and to select the commercial structure that best serves the investment.
Engage Klean early to apply that knowledge to your site, tire supply, and target products. For a sufficiently defined project, a paid Detailed Equipment Quotation (DEQ) establishes the preliminary equipment and investment basis. Development then progresses through a Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) and Front-End Engineering Design (FEED).
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ABOUT THE INFORMATION PRESENTED
This case presents selected Klean project records and commercial experience. Historical redevelopment projections are distinguished from pilot activities and completed commercial work. Further technical, operational, and commercial information is addressed within an agreed engagement, subject to appropriate confidentiality arrangements.
This project addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by aligning with the goals and associated targets illustrated by the WBCSD’s Tire Industry Project (TIP). TIP provides a framework for action that outlines impactful pathways for the tire sector to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To learn more about how Klean’s approach, solutions, and technologies contribute to advancing the SDGs, please review the report “Sustainability Driven: Accelerating Impact with the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap”.
