Generative Data Intelligence

Franklin County startup that converts tires to energy looking to expand in North Carolina

Date:

FRANKLINTON, N.C. — A startup company that turns tires into clean energy is looking to expand from Franklin County across the globe.

Gov. Roy Cooper said PRTI could be part of the future of sustainable growth in North Carolina.

On Tuesday, Cooper toured PRTI’s recycling plant on US-1 south of Franklinton, where he got a firsthand look at the company’s efforts.

“Not only are we working to solve the problem of waste tires, we take that further and turn the tires into power,” PRTI CEO Chris Hare said.

A spokesperson for the company said 300 million tires are trashed every year in the United States. The vast majority ending up in landfills.

The company has patented a technology called Thermal Demanufacturing, which takes rubber tires and converts them into resources like oil, carbon, steel and energy, with zero waste created.

In the past five years, PRTI says they’ve recycled more than 50 million pounds of tires at its Franklin County plant.

“This company I think has found a secret,” Cooper said. “That they take these tires, they use their process and produce byproducts of steel and energy in order to run their own data system.”

PRTI has been using the energy extracted from tires to power a Blockchain computing plant.

Company leaders also say they’re ready to expand beyond Franklin County, hoping to eventually grow to 800 facilities worldwide.

PRTI plans to start with its first scaled site in Virginia and at least four more locations in North Carolina, creating a total of at least 150 jobs.

“In terms of capital equipment and capital investment, that’s hundreds of millions of dollars,” Hare said. “But it’s a significant investment in solving a problem that we’re creating every time we change tires.”

As the state continues to see rapid growth, Cooper told WRAL News that PRTI could help North Carolina on the road to sustainability.

“When you think about ten years from now, maybe five years from now, when this business is going strong and making such a positive impact, we can say that it started in Franklin County, North Carolina,” Cooper said.

spot_img

Latest Intelligence

spot_img

Chat with us

Hi there! How can I help you?