This
paper first reviews the serious environmental concerns and
waste management due to the rapid increase in the vast quantity of
waste tyre globally. It then articulates the importance of pyrolysis
as an attractive technical route for valorising waste tyre. A systematic
summarisation on pyrolysis reaction chemistry is presented, including
those for both waste tyre and its individual components. The key factors,
including feedstock properties, reactor configurations, and reaction
conditions that influence the properties and distribution of pyrolysis
products and transformation and fate of impurities, are discussed.
Such knowledge is essential to selecting operating parameters for
optimal pyrolysis products and process performance. Potential applications
of waste tyre pyrolysis products (i.e., char, oil, and gas) are subsequently
surveyed and summarised. The important roles of key impurities (especially
sulfur) and their derivatives, which are major constraints for commercialisation
of waste tyre pyrolysis technologies, are also discussed. Remediation
strategies of these impurities in pyrolysis products are summarised,
compared, and benchmarked. The recent progress in process development,
techno-economic analysis, and life cycle analysis of waste tyre pyrolysis
processes is also covered. In closing, the remaining challenges and
research gaps in the field of waste tyre pyrolysis are identified
and future research perspectives are outlined.