Recycling of products

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of sustainability, in particular the reuse of products. Methods, apparatus, systems, and reusing instruction or control data are disclosed, these methods, apparatus, systems, and reuse instructions or control data are configured to control reuse of at least one old product, such as at least one old tire, and chemical input material (s) produced from the at least one old product, such as at least one old tire, by using the control data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of sustainability, and in particular to the reuse of products. Disclosed are methods, devices, systems, and reuse instructions or control data configured to control the reuse of at least one used product (e.g., at least one used tire) and chemical input material(s) produced from the at least one used product (e.g., at least one used tire) by using control data. Background Art

[0002] Chemical products are used in a wide variety of applications and ultimately enter multiple supply chains. Used products containing chemical products are not easily reusable. This prevents them from being reliably reintegrated into the recycling chain and hinders the development of circular ecosystems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one aspect, a method, in particular a computer-implemented method, for processing at least one old product, for example for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing, comprises the following steps:

[0004] providing at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact;

[0005] collecting at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the old product and / or wherein the physical and / or chemical property is determined based on product data collected via the at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product;

[0006] generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or correlating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product;

[0007] The control and / or monitoring data is provided, the control and / or monitoring data including the machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product.

[0008] In another aspect, an apparatus for processing at least one old product, for example for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing, is configured to perform the following steps:

[0009] or

[0010] An apparatus for processing at least one legacy product, for example for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing, wherein the at least one legacy product is controlled and / or monitored via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a decentralized network, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions thereon, the computer-executable instructions being configured such that, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, the apparatus causes the apparatus to perform the following steps:

[0011] providing at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact;

[0012] collecting at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the old product and / or wherein the physical and / or chemical property is determined based on product data collected via the at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product;

[0013] generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or correlating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product;

[0014] The control and / or monitoring data is provided, the control and / or monitoring data including the machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product.

[0015] In another aspect, an apparatus for processing at least one used product, for example for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing, comprises:

[0016] a trigger provider configured to provide at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact;

[0017] a data collector configured to collect at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the old product and / or wherein the physical and / or chemical property is determined based on product data collected via the at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product;

[0018] a control data generator configured to generate control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or correlating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product;

[0019] A control and / or monitoring data provider configured to provide the control and / or monitoring data, the control and / or monitoring data comprising machine-readable instructions for processing the old product by one or more devices configured to reuse the old product.

[0020] In another aspect, a system for processing at least one used product is disclosed, the system comprising:

[0021] An apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing at least one used product as disclosed herein, and / or

[0022] At least one of the following devices, configured to receive control and / or monitoring data generated by the devices, e.g., according to the methods disclosed herein:

[0023] one or more devices configured to reuse the used product;

[0024] physical processing means for refurbishing the at least one used product or part(s) thereof;

[0025] Chemical and / or physical treatment plants for recovering the used product or its fraction(s);

[0026] Chemical and / or physical treatment means for recovering chemical materials from the used product or its fraction(s).

[0027] In a further aspect, a method, in particular a computer-implemented method, for processing at least one legacy product, for example for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing, is disclosed, wherein the at least one legacy product is controlled and / or monitored via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes (multiple) of a decentralized network, the method comprising the following steps:

[0028] providing at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact;

[0029] collecting at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the old product, and / or wherein product data is collected via the at least one decentralized identifier, e.g., from one or more computing nodes or participating nodes of a decentralized network, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is determined based on the product data;

[0030] generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or correlating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product;

[0031] Control and / or monitoring data including the machine-readable instructions are provided to one or more computing nodes of the decentralized network, wherein the computing node(s) are configured to initialize a process for reusing the at least one used product.

[0032] In yet another aspect, an apparatus for processing at least one legacy product, for example for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing, is disclosed, wherein the at least one legacy product is controlled via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes(s) of a decentralized network, the apparatus being configured to perform the following steps:

[0033] or

[0034] An apparatus for processing at least one legacy product, for example for generating control and / or monitoring data for processing, wherein the at least one legacy product is controlled via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a decentralized network, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions thereon, the computer-executable instructions being configured such that, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, the apparatus causes the apparatus to perform the following steps:

[0035] providing at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact;

[0036] collecting at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the old product, and / or wherein product data is collected from one or more participating nodes of a decentralized network via the at least one decentralized identifier, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is determined based on the product data;

[0037] generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating and / or correlating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product;

[0038] Control and / or monitoring data including the machine-readable instructions are provided to one or more computing nodes of the decentralized network, wherein the computing node(s) are configured to initialize a process for reusing the at least one used product.

[0039] Furthermore, in other aspects, a method, in particular a computer-implemented method, for generating control and / or monitoring data for reusing at least one used product is disclosed, the method comprising the following steps:

[0040] or

[0041] A device for generating control and / or monitoring data for reusing at least one used product, the device being configured to perform the following steps:

[0042] or

[0043] An apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data for reusing at least one used product, wherein the at least one used product is controlled via peer-to-peer communication between computing nodes of a decentralized network, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions thereon, the computer-executable instructions being configured to, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, cause the apparatus to perform any of the following steps:

[0044] providing at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact and status data associated with at least one characteristic of the old artifact;

[0045] collecting product data via the at least one decentralized identifier, for example from one or more computing nodes or participating nodes of a decentralized network, wherein the product data relates to the production and / or use of the old product;

[0046] generating control and / or monitoring data for reusing the at least one used product based on the at least one reuse trigger and the collected product data;

[0047] The control and / or monitoring data is provided to initialize a process for reusing the at least one used product.

[0048] And / or perform any of the following steps:

[0049] providing at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact and status data associated with at least one characteristic of the old artifact;

[0050] collecting product data via the at least one decentralized identifier, for example from one or more computing nodes or participating nodes of a decentralized network, wherein the product data relates to the production and / or use of the old product;

[0051] generating control and / or monitoring data for reusing the at least one used product based on the at least one reuse trigger and the collected product data;

[0052] The control and / or monitoring data is provided to one or more computing nodes of the decentralized network, wherein the computing node(s) are configured to initialize a process for reusing the at least one used product.

[0053] In yet another aspect, a system for controlling and / or monitoring the reuse of at least one used product is disclosed, the system comprising:

[0054] an apparatus as disclosed herein for processing or controlling the reuse of the at least one used product;

[0055] optionally a product collector configured to receive control and / or monitoring data to initialize a process for reusing the at least one used product or portion(s) thereof;

[0056] optionally a plant operator of a chemical and / or physical treatment plant, the plant operator being configured to receive the control and / or monitoring data for initializing a process for reusing the at least one used product or part(s) thereof, wherein the operator of the chemical and / or physical treatment plant may be associated with a chemical product producer, a product manufacturer and / or a product reuser;

[0057] Optionally a chemical and / or physical processing plant for recycling the at least one used product or part(s) thereof to recover chemical materials, wherein the chemical and / or physical processing plant can be associated with a chemical product producer, a product manufacturer and / or a product reuser.

[0058] In another aspect, reuse instruction(s) or control and / or monitoring data are disclosed that are configured to control and / or monitor the reuse of at least one used product generated and / or used, for example, according to a method disclosed herein or by an apparatus or system disclosed herein.

[0059] In another aspect, one or more chemical materials are disclosed that are produced from at least one used product or portion(s) thereof by using control and / or monitoring data generated and / or used, for example, according to a method disclosed herein or by an apparatus or system disclosed herein.

[0060] In another aspect, a system is disclosed, comprising at least one used product and control and / or monitoring data configured to or used to control and / or monitor reuse of at least one used product according to a method disclosed herein or by an apparatus or system disclosed herein, wherein the at least one used product is associated with the control and / or monitoring data.

[0061] In another aspect, disclosed are (multiple) control and / or monitoring data consumption services and / or (multiple) control and / or monitoring data providing services configured to control and / or monitor the reuse of at least one used product according to the methods disclosed herein or by the apparatus or system disclosed herein.

[0062] In another aspect, (multiple) control and / or monitoring data providing services are disclosed, which are configured to generate control and / or monitoring data for controlling and / or monitoring the reuse of at least one used product according to the method disclosed herein or the apparatus or system disclosed herein.

[0063] On the other hand, disclosed is the use of control and / or monitoring data provided by the methods disclosed herein or by the apparatus or system disclosed herein for controlling and / or monitoring the reuse of at least one used product and / or for re-introducing chemical materials recovered through the reuse of the at least one used product into one or more chemical production processes.

[0064] In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a computer element, such as a computer program or a computer-readable medium, having instructions that, when executed on, for example, one or more computing nodes of a distributed network, are configured to perform the steps of the method(s) disclosed herein or are configured to be executed by an apparatus or system disclosed herein.

[0065] Any disclosure, embodiment, and example described herein relates to the methods, systems, devices, products, chemicals, instructions, uses, consumer services, provision of services, and computer elements listed above and below. Advantageously, the benefits provided by any embodiment and example are also applicable to all other embodiments and examples. Example

[0066] In order to reliably reuse products and reduce the impact of products on the environment, it is proposed to generate control and / or monitoring data for controlling and / or monitoring reuse in a data-driven manner. In particular, reuse can be constructed so that old products can be transformed for the same or other purposes, or be reinvested in the chemical infrastructure. By using a data-driven approach combined with the history of old products, reuse can be controlled by considering the details of the old products to minimize the impact on the environment. In this way, the material flow from collecting old products, to processing old products, to reusing the chemical materials recovered from the old products can be controlled. The method proposed herein allows for reliable reuse of products until the chemical materials are reinvested back into their chemical production chain. Therefore, a circular value chain can be achieved, thereby reducing the impact of material flows on the environment.

[0067] The following is an overview of embodiments of the present disclosure by way of examples. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and / or examples.

[0068] Used products can include any end product in a product ecosystem that can be used by an end user. Used products can refer to manufactured products used by an end user. Products or used products can include any product containing carbon. Products or used products can contain or be produced from at least one organic compound. Products or used products can include products containing extruded foam and / or fabric, such as mattresses. Products or used products can include products containing rubber, silica, carbon black, steel, and / or fabric, such as tires. Products or used products can include products containing any type of plastic, such as packaging materials or plastic toys. Products or used products can include products containing any type of metal (such as precious metals). Used products can include used products containing carbon, used products containing at least one organic compound, used products containing metals (such as precious metals), used batteries, electronic devices, used cars, used fabrics, used mattresses, used car parts, or used tires. In this disclosure, product-related terms (such as product data, product user, product producer, etc.) can be used similarly in the context of a specific product, and products can be specified by specific products. For example, in the case of tires, the product data may be tire data, the product user may be a tire user, the product producer may be a tire producer, etc. Or, for example, in the case of batteries, the product data may be battery data, the product user may be a battery user, the product producer may be a battery producer, etc.

[0069] A product ecosystem can include different stages, including manufacturing, use, and reuse. During these stages, one or more ecosystem participants can be responsible for the manufacture, use, or reuse of a product. For example, the manufacturing stage can include raw material manufacturers, intermediate material manufacturers, and / or final product manufacturers. Furthermore, for example, the use stage can include product users, product maintainers, and / or product distributors. Furthermore, for example, the reuse stage can include collectors, sorters, dismantlers, recyclers, restorers, and / or refurbishers.

[0070] Participants in the product ecosystem can be connected via a decentralized network. The decentralized network can include computing nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem and can be configured to conduct data transactions. Computing nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem can be associated with producers, users, or re-users of physical products (e.g., chemical product producers, intermediate product producers, final product producers, final product users, users of used products, or product re-users). Data transactions can be based on a transaction protocol that includes(s) authentication and / or authorization mechanisms. Based on(s) authentication and / or authorization mechanisms, peer-to-peer communication can be established between computing nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem. Respective nodes associated with participants in the decentralized network can be configured to provide(s) trigger consumption services,(s) trigger service(s),(s) control and / or monitoring data consumption services,(s) control and / or monitoring data service(s),(s) product data service(s), and / or(s) product data consumption services.

[0071] One or more authentication mechanisms can be associated with or linked to a decentralized identifier associated with the physical entity of the artifact. The one or more authentication mechanisms associated with the decentralized identifier can be provided to participating nodes. The one or more authentication mechanisms associated with the decentralized identifier can be accessed by data-providing services and / or data-consuming services. A decentralized configuration allows for more efficient use of computing resources and strengthens control by data owners in a decentralized network.

[0072] The one or more authorization mechanisms may include at least one authorization rule for controlling access to data controlled by a data owner. Computing nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem may be configured to provide data consumption service(s) and / or data provision service(s). The data provision service may be configured to provide or send data to another participating node in the decentralized network. The data consumption service may be configured to ingest or receive data from another participating node in the decentralized network. Providing data to the data provision service for access by the data consumption service may include the data consumption service indirectly or directly accessing the data.

[0073] A reuse trigger may be a trigger associated with the end-of-life event of a used product. A reuse trigger may involve the reuse of a used product. A reuse trigger may be generated based on the end-of-life event of a used product. The end-of-life event may be predefined, for example, by the passage of time, or may be user-defined, for example, by indicating its end-of-life. A reuse trigger may be generated by at least one node of a decentralized network. Such a node may be associated with a user of the used product or a collector of the used product. The reuse trigger may include at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product. The reuse trigger may be generated upon reading a physical identifier associated with the used product. The physical identifier may be connected to or physically attached to the product, for example, via an identification number, an electronic tag (such as an RFID tag), or a code (such as a QR code). The physical identifier may be connected to a decentralized identifier associated with the used product. The reuse trigger may be generated based on predetermined criteria, such as a predetermined period of use, a predetermined location, and / or a predetermined event. The decentralized identifier associated with the used product may be provided for generating the reuse trigger.

[0074] The reuse trigger may include or relate to state data associated with at least one characteristic of the old product. The state data may indicate at least one characteristic of the old product in its used state. The state data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the old product. The state data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic related to the type of the old product or the material contained in the old product. The state data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic related to the state of use of the old product. The state data may include or relate to at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic related to the location of the old product.

[0075] At least one physical and / or chemical property of a used product may relate to one or more properties determined when the used product is scrapped. In this context, scrapping may refer to the fact that the used product can no longer be used for its current purpose or can no longer be used by its current user. At least one physical and / or chemical property of a used product may relate to one or more properties determined during the production and / or life cycle of the used product. At least one physical and / or chemical property of a used product may be derived from a measurement value and / or may be data accessible via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product. For example, at least one physical and / or chemical property of a used product may be measured at scrapping to determine the state of the used product at scrapping. Further, for example, at least one physical and / or chemical property of a used product may be measured or derived from product data collected at any point during the production and / or life cycle of the used product.

[0076] Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by associating or relating status data of the used product, particularly at least one chemical and / or physical property, with processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by the one or more devices configured to reuse the used product. The processing characteristics may indicate properties of the used product that make it suitable for reuse by the one or more devices configured for the respective reuse. The processing characteristics may relate to one or more chemical and / or physical properties of the used product. The processing characteristics may relate to the reuse of the used product by the devices configured for the respective reuse. Thus, the processing characteristics may relate the chemical and / or physical properties of the unused product to the respective reuse. The machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by the one or more devices configured to reuse the used product may relate to providing the used product to the device(s) configured for the respective reuse. For example, the location of the used product and the device configured for the respective reuse may be correlated to control and / or monitor the provision of the used product to the device configured for the respective reuse, or in other words, the transport of the used product to the device configured for the respective reuse.

[0077] In one embodiment, the at least one physical and / or chemical property is collected by optically measuring the at least one physical and / or chemical property. The at least one physical and / or chemical property may be provided in association with or together with at least one reuse trigger, for example, as part of the status data. The physical and / or chemical property may include properties provided by a sensor configured to measure the physical and / or chemical property. For example, the physical and / or chemical property may include properties provided by a sensor of a mobile device (such as a camera) or an infrared spectrometer (such as a near-infrared spectrometer). The measurement and provision of the physical and / or chemical property may be triggered by receiving a reuse trigger. For example, a user may be guided to perform a measurement, for example, by taking an image or using an infrared spectrometer. The measurement and provision of the physical and / or chemical property may be provided together with the reuse trigger.

[0078] In another embodiment, the physical and / or chemical properties are determined based on product data collected via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product. The at least one physical and / or chemical property can be provided, for example, as part of the status data, in connection with or in conjunction with at least one reuse trigger. The data collection and provision of the physical and / or chemical properties can be triggered by receipt of a reuse trigger. The product data can be provided in conjunction with the reuse trigger.

[0079] Decentralized identifier(s) can connect the physical entity of a product or legacy product to product data associated with the product or legacy product. The product data associated with the product or legacy product can relate to different stages of the product ecosystem. The product data can include, for example, historical information or data associated with the product's use and / or production, collected during different stages of the product ecosystem. The product data associated with the legacy product can be stored by or associated with one or more nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem. The product data can be distributed across multiple nodes associated with different participants in the product ecosystem in a decentralized network. The legacy product can include one or more decentralized identifiers that represent a digital twin of the physical entity of the product. The decentralized identifier(s) can be digital identifiers of the legacy product in the decentralized network or of the decentralized network. The decentralized identifier(s) can include one or more digital identifiers provided to the decentralized network and / or computing nodes associated with participants in the product ecosystem. The decentralized identifier(s) can represent the physical entity of the product or legacy product for the participating node(s) of the decentralized network. Decentralized identifier(s) can be linked based on a physical relationship between a physical product entity or a legacy product entity and another physical entity (e.g., a physical entity used to produce the product or legacy product, or a physical entity used with or in connection with the product or legacy product). In this way, participating nodes of a decentralized network can interpret the relationship of decentralized identifier(s) as corresponding to the physical relationship between the physical product entity or legacy product entity and the other physical entity. Linking decentralized identifier(s) allows for identification of the node(s) storing the product data.

[0080] A decentralized network may be configured to provide access to product data stored by one or more nodes associated with at least one participant in a product ecosystem. Access may be provided according to a decentralized network protocol that includes authentication and / or authorization. Collection of product data may include providing at least one request to one or more nodes associated with a participant in the product ecosystem based on decentralized identifier(s). For collection, a node may be selected based on a linkage between at least one decentralized identifier associated with a legacy product and at least one other decentralized identifier associated with a physical entity that is or was physically associated with the legacy product.

[0081] Product data can be collected from one or more network nodes associated with product producers and / or users connected via a decentralized network. The network nodes from which product data is to be collected can be selected based on a decentralized identifier associated with the old product. Product data can be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers or one or more users of the product via at least one decentralized identifier. Product data can be provided from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers or one or more users of the product via at least one decentralized identifier. The product data can include production data provided by one or more producers of the old product and / or monitoring data provided by one or more users of the old product.

[0082] In one embodiment, at least one physical and / or chemical property may be collected by requesting product data associated with the old product via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product. The requested product data may relate to monitoring data collected during the use of the product. The physical and / or chemical property may be determined based on the monitoring data. The requested product data may relate to production data collected during the production of the product. The physical and / or chemical property may be determined based on the production data. The physical and / or chemical property may be determined based on the monitoring data and / or the production data.

[0083] Product data may be associated with historical data related to the production of the old product. Production data may relate to one or more material compositions used to produce the old product or its portion(s). Product data may include compositional data associated with the old product or its portion(s).

[0084] The product data may be associated with historical data related to the use of the old product. The monitoring data may relate to at least one physical and / or chemical property affected by the use of the product or its part(s). The at least one physical and / or chemical property affected by the use may be derived from the monitoring data. The product data may include at least one physical and / or chemical property derived from the monitoring data and / or the monitoring data.

[0085] In one embodiment, processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected from one or more network nodes associated with product reusers connected via a decentralized network. The network nodes from which the processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected can be selected based on at least one characteristic of the old product. The processing characteristics can relate to the reuse process performed by the device and / or the physical and / or chemical properties of the old product. In this way, the physical and / or chemical properties of the old product can be matched with the corresponding device configured for reuse through the processing characteristics.

[0086] In one embodiment, the one or more devices configured to reuse the used product process the used product by transforming, refurbishing, or recycling the used product. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to transform or refurbish the used product may relate to at least one physical characteristic of the used product. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to transform or refurbish the used product may relate to at least one damage state of the used product. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to recycle the used product may relate to at least one chemical characteristic of the used product. The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to recycle the used product may relate to at least one material type contained in the used product.

[0087] In one embodiment, recyclable data associated with one or more recyclable compositions to be reintroduced into the production of one or more producers is collected, wherein control and / or monitoring data is generated by associating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product to the recyclable data. The recyclable data may relate to a recyclable stream associated with recyclables that can be produced by recycling the old product or its (multiple) parts. For example, recyclable data may be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers (such as (multiple) chemical producers or (multiple) product producers). The collection may include using at least one decentralized identifier and / or product data (such as material composition data) of the old product. The recyclable data may relate to one or more recyclable compositions to be reintroduced into the production of one or more producers. The recyclable data of the recyclable composition may relate to the amount of recyclables to be reintroduced into the production of one or more producers. The amount may indicate the demand for one or more recyclable compositions.

[0088] Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by matching the production data relevant to one or more material compositions contained in the old product or its (multiple) parts with the recyclable material data relevant to one or more recyclable materials compositions to be re-invested in the production of one or more producers. Based on matching, control and / or monitoring data of the recyclable material composition for production matching can be generated. Control and / or monitoring data can relate to the old product for producing the recyclable material that is for example in demand and / or to be re-invested in the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can comprise one or more decentralized identifiers associated with the old product for producing the recyclable material that is for example in demand and / or to be re-invested in the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can comprise the machine-readable instructions for processing the old product.

[0089] In another embodiment, the control and / or monitoring data (e.g., machine-readable instructions for processing a used product) includes at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product and / or at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or machine-readable instructions may further include instructions for processing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to modifying the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to refurbishing or repurposing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to recycling the used product.

[0090] The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to provide the used product or at least a portion thereof to a chemical and / or physical treatment plant associated with a producer (such as a chemical product producer or product producer) or a recycler. The control and / or monitoring data can be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data can relate to chemical and / or physical treatment of the used product or its (multiple) portions to recover chemical materials as recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data can relate to (multiple) chemical and / or physical treatment methods suitable for processing the used product or its (multiple) portions to produce recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used product. The control and / or monitoring data can be provided to one or more nodes of a distributed network, wherein the one or more nodes can be associated with a recycler for, for example, transformation, refurbishment, recycling and / or reproduction. The control and / or monitoring data may include specifications for a reuse method (e.g., a recycling method), recyclables to be produced, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses the recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a reuse process for, for example, reforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing old products may be initialized and / or controlled.

[0091] A reuse trigger may be generated by a node associated with an actor that triggers a scrapping event associated with a used product. To generate a reuse trigger, the ID of the used product may be read by an ID reader, or the ID of the used product may be manually entered into an application (e.g., a mobile app).

[0092] Based on providing the old product identification, a decentralized identifier associated with the old product can be retrieved via a decentralized network. For example, the old product identification can be provided to a decentralized database or a decentralized registry that stores decentralized identifiers related to the old product identification. The decentralized database can be a database that includes decentralized identifiers of old products. The decentralized database can include a distributed ledger and can allow verification of the old product identifier. Further, for example, the decentralized identifier can be retrieved from a registry that stores decentralized identifiers related to the old product identification and associated with the participant who triggered the reuse trigger. Further, for example, the decentralized identifier can be obtained from a registry associated with any participant of the product ecosystem, such as a product producer or a product user. The participant who triggered the reuse event can connect to nodes associated with other participants of the product ecosystem via the authentication and / or authorization protocol of the decentralized network, such as Figure 4 or as described in the context of FIG. 5 .

[0093] The reuse trigger may include a decentralized identifier associated with the product and status data associated with the old product. The status data may include characteristics that declared the old product obsolete. This may include visual inspection data, such as image data provided from a smartphone camera, for example.

[0094] A reuse trigger, including a decentralized identifier associated with a used product, can be provided to any node associated with a participant in the product ecosystem that collects the product. For example, a reuse trigger can be provided to a node associated with a product producer, a chemical producer supplying the product production chain, or a recycler. A reuse trigger can be sent to a node associated with the corresponding participant.

[0095] Based on providing a reuse trigger, control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used products can be generated. To generate the control and / or monitoring data, other data, particularly data related to at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used product, can be retrieved from nodes associated with different participants in the product ecosystem. For example, product production data can be retrieved from the product's manufacturer, including composition data associated with the materials comprising the used product. Furthermore, for example, product usage data can be retrieved from nodes associated with product users, including monitoring data associated with the product during its use. Furthermore, for example, product usage data including lifespan data associated with the product can be retrieved. Furthermore, for example, sensor data associated with measured properties of the used product can be retrieved from any node. In this way, physical and / or chemical properties of the used product can be collected. The physical and / or chemical properties can be measured properties of the used product, such as image or IR sensor data. The physical and / or chemical properties can be determined based on product data (such as composition data or usage data associated with monitoring data from the product's use or lifespan) collected via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product.

[0096] Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by associating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used product to a processing property of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product. The processing property can relate to the reuse process performed by the device. Based on the provided physical and / or chemical property, the processing property required for reuse can be determined, and from this, the appropriate device(s) configured to reuse the used product can be determined. The device(s) configured to reuse the used product process the used product by transforming, refurbishing, or recycling the used product.

[0097] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to transform or refurbish an old product may depend on the physical characteristics.The physical characteristics may be provided by measuring, such as by showing one or more images of the product.

[0098] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product may relate to at least one chemical characteristic of the used product. The chemical characteristics of the product, such as the product composition or the content of a specific component, may be provided upon request and during data transmission between nodes of the decentralized network via the peer-to-peer communication network.

[0099] Processing characteristics of one or more devices that match the physical and / or chemical characteristics of used products can be stored in a centralized or decentralized database or storage device. The processing characteristics can be collected from one or more network nodes associated with product recyclers connected via a decentralized network. The network node from which the processing characteristics of one or more devices are to be collected can be selected based on at least one characteristic of the used product provided. Based on this matching, suitable device(s) configured for recycling can be selected. Thus, control and / or monitoring data can be generated by associating and / or correlating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with the processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product. Thus, the control and / or monitoring data can include at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product and / or at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to recycle the used product. In addition to this matching, machine-readable instructions can be generated for processing the used product by the one or more devices configured to recycle the used product. Such instructions can associate multiple decentralized identifiers associated with the used product with at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to recycle the used product. This allows products to be digitally assigned to specific devices based on their characteristics at the end of life. In other words, these methods can provide a second life or recycling recommender, ensuring that old products end up in the right reuse stream, such as refurbishment, modification, recycling, etc.

[0100] In addition to simply matching and finding suitable reuse, the matching can be further refined by providing recyclable data that is related to one or more recyclable compositions collected to be re-entered into the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by associating and / or correlating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product with the recyclable data. The recyclable data can relate to recyclable streams associated with recyclables that can be produced by recycling the old product or its (multiple) parts. For example, recyclable data can be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers (such as (multiple) chemical producers or (multiple) product producers). Recyclable data can relate to one or more recyclable compositions to be re-entered into the production of one or more producers. Recyclable data of recyclable compositions can relate to the amount of recyclables to be re-entered into the production of one or more producers. This amount can indicate the demand for one or more recyclable compositions. Based on the material composition data collected for multiple old products, the recyclable composition to be produced from such old products can be determined.

[0101] Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by matching the production data relevant to one or more material compositions contained in the old product or its (multiple) parts with the recyclable material data relevant to one or more recyclable materials compositions to be thrown back into the production of one or more producers. Based on matching, control and / or monitoring data for the recyclable material composition of production matching can be generated. By the decentralized identifier associated with the old product as provided by the reuse trigger, control and / or monitoring data can relate to the old product for producing the recyclable material that is for example in demand and / or to be thrown back into the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can include one or more decentralized identifiers associated with the old product for producing the recyclable material that is for example in demand and / or to be thrown back into the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can include machine-readable instructions for processing the old product.

[0102] The control and / or monitoring data and / or machine-readable instructions may further include instructions for processing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to modifying the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to refurbishing or reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to recycling the used product.

[0103] The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to provide the used product or at least a portion thereof to a chemical and / or physical treatment plant associated with a producer (such as a chemical product producer or product producer) or a recycler. The control and / or monitoring data can be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data can relate to chemical and / or physical treatment of the used product or its (multiple) portions to recover chemical materials as recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data can relate to (multiple) chemical and / or physical treatment methods suitable for processing the used product or its (multiple) portions to produce recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used product. The control and / or monitoring data can be provided to one or more nodes of a distributed network, wherein the one or more nodes can be associated with a recycler for, for example, transformation, refurbishment, recycling and / or reproduction. The control and / or monitoring data may include specifications for a reuse method (e.g., a recycling method), recyclables to be produced, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses the recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a reuse process for, for example, reforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing old products may be initialized and / or controlled.

[0104] The control and / or monitoring data used to initiate the reuse of the used product can be provided to any node associated with a participant of the decentralized network. For example, the control and / or monitoring data can be provided to a node associated with a participant that triggers a reuse event, or the control and / or monitoring data can be provided to a node associated with a participant that needs to reuse the used product (such as a renovator, converter, collector, recycler, and / or producer that reuses the used product or recycled materials).

[0105] The reuse trigger may include a product identifier, in particular a decentralized identifier. The reuse trigger may include or relate to status data indicating the status of the old product. The status data associated with the product may relate to characteristics of the old product. The status data may relate to physical and / or chemical characteristics of the old product. The status data may include at least one chemical and / or physical property of the old product. The status data may include image data related to the condition of the old product.

[0106] Based on the decentralized identifier provided by the reuse trigger, product data associated with the old product can be collected from one or more participating nodes of the decentralized network. Product data can be retrieved from different nodes associated with participants of the product ecosystem (e.g., the producer of the product or any user of the product). Product data can be associated with the history of the old product. Product data can include characteristics of the product. Product data can be collected from different nodes associated with participants of the product ecosystem. For example, monitoring data can be collected from (multiple) nodes associated with any participant of the product ecosystem, or can be received together with the reuse trigger. Production data can be collected from nodes associated with the product producer. Other monitoring data related to the use of the product can be collected from (multiple) nodes associated with any participant of the product ecosystem, or can be received together with the reuse trigger.

[0107] To collect production and / or monitoring data, a decentralized product identifier can be used. The decentralized product identifier can be linked to a decentralized user identifier or a decentralized manufacturer identifier. This link can be made available to one or more participants in the product ecosystem. The decentralized product identifier can be provided to a decentralized database, which can store links between decentralized identifiers associated with products, users, and / or manufacturers. In another example, a reuse trigger can include the link information. Monitoring data can be retrieved based on the decentralized user identifier. Production data can be retrieved based on the decentralized manufacturer identifier.

[0108] To generate control and / or monitoring data, collected product data associated with the used product can be analyzed. The analysis can be based on the used product status from state data, product production data, product monitoring data, and / or recyclables data associated with the product. At least one physical and / or chemical property of the used product can be determined based on the production and / or monitoring data collected via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product.

[0109] The physical and / or chemical properties of the old product may relate to the physical and / or chemical condition of the product. Based on this condition, control and / or monitoring data may be generated. The physical and / or chemical properties may indicate the degradation state (such as damage or repair state) of the product, the location / area, and / or the age of the old product. Based on this condition, control and / or monitoring data may be generated. The control and / or monitoring data may include the degradation state (such as damage or repair state) of the product, the location / area, and / or the age of the old product. The control and / or monitoring data may include one or more devices configured for reusing the old product. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to nodes associated with one or more devices configured for reusing (such as refurbishment, transformation and / or recycling).

[0110] Via such a decision tree, control and / or monitoring data for recycling may be generated by associating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product.

[0111] Recovery and / or monitoring data may be generated.

[0112] The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing the used product, the machine-readable instructions including at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product and at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to chemical and / or physical processing of the used product or portion(s) thereof to recover chemical materials as recyclables.

[0113] The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one old product. The control and / or monitoring data can be provided to one or more nodes of a decentralized network, wherein the one or more nodes can be associated with a reuser for, for example, transforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing the old product. The control and / or monitoring data can include specifications for a reuse method (such as a recycling method), recyclables to be produced, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a reuse process for, for example, transforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing the old product can be initialized. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a reuse process for, for example, transforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing the old product can be controlled and / or monitored. For example, a recycling process can be controlled and / or monitored based on the material composition indicated by the control and / or monitoring data.

[0114] The decentralized identifier can be uniquely associated with the old product and the product data including production and / or monitoring data. The decentralized identifier can be associated with an identifier element for each product. The identifier element can include any physical arrangement that associates the product identifier with the product or at least one component of the product. The identifier element can include passive or active elements, such as, but not limited to, a number printed on the product, a QR code, an RFID tag. The identifier element can be a physical identifier that is physically connected to the product or at least one component of the product. The identifier element can include a mark embedded in a material, a product number, a barcode, a QR code, a label such as an RFID tag, or a similar physical arrangement that allows the product or at least one component of the product to be digitally identified.

[0115] An identifier element may be uniquely associated with a product. An identifier element may be uniquely associated with a digital product identifier. A digital product identifier may be uniquely associated with a product. In this way, product data may be provided for each product or for individual products. A product identifier may relate to one or more decentralized identifiers uniquely associated with a product. A product identifier may relate to one or more decentralized identifiers that represent a digital twin of a physical entity of a product. A decentralized identifier may be a digital identifier of a decentralized network or a digital identifier for a decentralized network. In other words, a decentralized identifier may uniquely identify a product for a node of a decentralized network. A decentralized identifier may be a digital identifier provided to a decentralized network and to participating nodes of the decentralized network. Thus, a decentralized identifier may represent the physical entity of a product in a decentralized network, and participating nodes may be able to interpret the relationship of the decentralized identifier to the physical entity of the product.

[0116] Decentralized identifiers can include any unique identifier uniquely associated with a data owner and an artifact. Decentralized identifiers can include one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or digital identifiers (DIDs). Decentralized identifiers can be issued by a centralized or decentralized identity issuing authority. Decentralized identifiers can include authentication information. Through the decentralized identifier and its unique association with the data owner and artifact, the data owner can control access to artifact data. This contrasts with centralized authority solutions, where identifiers are provided by such a centralized authority and access to the data is controlled by such a centralized authority. In this context, decentralized means that the data owner controls the use of the identifier.

[0117] The decentralized identifier may include one or more identifiers used in a decentralized network and enabling data exchange via the decentralized network. The data exchange may include discovering decentralized identifiers of network nodes of the decentralized network, authenticating network nodes of the decentralized network, and / or authorizing data transfer via peer-to-peer communication between network nodes of the decentralized network.

[0118] A decentralized identifier can be uniquely associated with a product and product data related to the product's production and / or monitoring during its use. Through the unique association or relationship between the decentralized identifier and the product data associated with the product, the decentralized identifier can be used to access the product data independently of the node that stores or makes the product data accessible. This increases the depth of accessible data in a decentralized network and can be used to process legacy products.

[0119] A reuse trigger may be generated upon a discarding event of a used product. The reuse trigger may include at least one decentralized identifier and state data associated with the state of the used product at the time of discarding. The state data may include physical and / or chemical characteristics associated with the discarding, such as degradation data associated with the degraded state of the product at the time of discarding or damage data associated with the damage state of the product at the time of discarding. The state data associated with the state of the used product at the time of discarding may be retrieved, collected, or acquired based on the decentralized identifier. The state data may be provided separately from the reuse trigger.

[0120] Product data related to the production of the old product and / or the use of the old product can be collected via at least one decentralized identifier. The product data may include production data associated with the production of the old product and / or monitoring data associated with the use of the old product. Physical and / or chemical properties of the product may be provided and / or may be derivable from the product data. For example, the material composition of the old product may be provided by the production data. Further, for example, the degradation state of the old product may be derivable from the monitoring data or may be derivable from the monitoring data. The degradation state may relate to the usage, age, number of repairs and / or number of refurbishments of the product during its lifespan.

[0121] Based on the collected or gathered data, control and / or monitoring data can be generated. To generate this data, the chemical and / or physical properties of the used product can be matched with corresponding processing characteristics of (multiple) devices configured to reuse the used product. The processing characteristics of (multiple) devices configured to reuse the used product can be related to the chemical and / or physical properties of the used product. In this way, suitable (multiple) devices configured to reuse the used product can be selected based on the chemical and / or physical properties of the used product. The (multiple) devices configured to reuse the used product can be associated with at least one decentralized identifier that digitally identifies the device. Based on this matching, machine-readable instructions can be generated for processing the used product by one or more devices configured to reuse the used product. The machine-readable instructions can include a decentralized identifier associated with the used product and a decentralized identifier associated with the (multiple) devices configured to reuse the used product. The machine-readable instructions can correlate the location of the used product with the (multiple) devices configured to reuse the used product. The machine-readable instructions can specify a method of reuse, such as refurbishment, reconstruction, or recycling. The machine-readable instructions may specify one or more process steps of a reuse method, such as refurbishment, reconstruction, or recycling.

[0122] The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing the used product, the machine-readable instructions including at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used product and at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used product. The machine-readable instructions may be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The machine-readable instructions may involve chemically and / or physically processing the used product or portion(s) thereof to recover chemical materials as recyclables.

[0123] The machine-readable instructions can be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one old product. The machine-readable instructions can be provided to one or more nodes of a decentralized network, wherein the one or more nodes can be associated with a reuser for, for example, transforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing the old product. The machine-readable instructions can include specifications for a reuse method (such as a transformation method, a purpose to be used, and / or a transformation identifier associated with the entity performing the transformation, or a recycling method), recyclables to be produced, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses the recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. Based on the generated machine-readable instructions, a reuse process for, for example, transforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing the old product can be initialized. Based on the generated machine-readable instructions, a reuse process for, for example, transforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing the old product can be controlled and / or monitored. For example, a recycling process can be controlled and / or monitored based on the material composition indicated by the generated machine-readable instructions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0124] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0125] Figure 1 An example of a tire as one possible example of a tire is schematically illustrated as an example product.

[0126] Figure 2 Examples of material layers that make up the tread area of ​​a tire are schematically illustrated.

[0127] Figure 3 An example of a tire ecosystem is shown as one possible example of a product ecosystem.

[0128] Figure 4 An example of a method or apparatus for exchanging tire data between participants of a tire ecosystem, as one possible example of a product ecosystem, is schematically illustrated.

[0129] Figures 5a to 5c An example of a method or apparatus for providing data associated with tire production, tire usage, and disposal of used tires between participants connected via a decentralized network in an entire tire ecosystem is schematically illustrated.

[0130] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires as an example of used products is schematically illustrated.

[0131] Figure 7An example of a method or apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires as an example of used products is schematically illustrated.

[0132] Figure 8 An example of a method or apparatus for exchanging tire data and control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires between participants of a tire ecosystem as an example product ecosystem is schematically illustrated.

[0133] Figure 9 A user interface for reusing used tires as an example of used products is schematically illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0134] The following embodiments are merely examples for implementing the methods, devices, systems, distributed network services, or applications disclosed herein and should not be considered limiting.

[0135] The following description uses tires as an example product. Other products can be processed in a similar manner, and this example should not be considered limiting. Other products may include foam-based products (such as car seats, mattresses, or insulation boards), plastic-based products (such as packaging or automotive interiors, electronic devices), and metal-based products (such as electrode active materials for batteries).

[0136] Figure 1 An example of a tire as one possible example of a tire is schematically illustrated as an example product.

[0137] The tire may be a tire for a vehicle. Vehicles may include automobiles, such as cars, vans, minivans, buses, SUVs (sport utility vehicles); trucks; vans, semi-trucks; tractors; motorcycles; trailers; ATVs (all-terrain vehicles); pickup trucks; heavy-duty vehicles, such as bulldozers, mobile cranes, and earthmovers; aircraft; and other modes of transportation that are typically equipped with one or more tires.

[0138] Vehicle tires can have a limited lifespan. Consequently, they are regularly disposed of, accumulating a significant amount of tire waste. Tire recycling rates remain low because they are made from different materials that must be separated.

[0139] like Figure 1 As schematically illustrated, tire 100 may include a tread portion 102 and a sidewall portion 104. Sidewall portion 104 may include a bead connected to rim 106. Tread portion 102 may include a layered structure 110 having different inner liners and a tread 108, as will be described in detail in the accompanying drawings. Figure 2 Further described in .

[0140] One of the main materials used in tires is rubber, such as natural rubber or synthetic rubber. Another main material includes fillers, such as carbon black or silica. Other materials include steel or fabrics, such as polyester, nylon, aramid, or rayon cord. Still other materials include chemical components, such as antioxidants, sulfur, zinc oxide, or antiozonants.

[0141] Figure 2 Examples of material layers that make up the tread area of ​​a tire are schematically illustrated.

[0142] Figure 2 Shows how Figure 1 The layered structure 112 of the tire is shown as reference numeral 112 in FIG. A first layer 120 may include a synthetic rubber inner liner. A second layer 118 may include a ply that incorporates fiber filaments into the rubber. A third layer 116 may include a carcass layer that incorporates steel filaments into the rubber. A fourth layer 114 may include nylon filaments incorporated into the rubber. The outermost layer may include a tread 108 that includes rubber, carbon black, and silica.

[0143] In order to reuse old tires, different methods can be applied, such as reuse in different vehicles, re-engraving, retreading or recycling. Through recycling, the rubber and filler can be recovered. This recycled material can be used to produce new tires or other end products. In this way, the material of the tire can be used multiple times and the circularity of the material flow can be achieved. However, the existing collection and recycling chain is highly fragmented, and only a small part of the old tires is reused or put back into the material flow. In order to increase the reuse rate of old tires and reduce the impact on the environment, the method, device and system proposed in this article provide a more robust and efficient treatment of old tires.

[0144] Figure 3 An example of a tire ecosystem is shown as one possible example of a product ecosystem.

[0145] The tire 100 may be Figure 1 and Figure 2 The portion 306 of the tire ecosystem may relate to the production of the tire 100.

[0146] Tires can be produced by tire manufacturers via tire production 304. Tires can be produced in one or more production steps. Tires can be produced from one or more chemical materials 302. Chemical materials 1302 can include, for example, raw chemical materials or intermediate chemical materials. Raw chemical materials can include water glass and monomers used to produce rubber, such as butadiene, styrene, and polyisobutylene. Intermediate chemical materials can include rubber (such as natural rubber and / or synthetic rubber), steel, fillers (such as carbon black and silica), polymers, tackifiers, antioxidants, accelerators, and antiozonants. Chemical materials 302 can be sourced from one or more chemical material suppliers, for example, as described in the context of FIG. 5A .

[0147] Tires can include Figure 1 and Figure 2 The tread portion and sidewall portion described in the context of FIG. The produced tires can be supplied from tire production 304 to any party that uses the tires in the use phase 305. The produced tires can be supplied from tire production 304 to vehicle manufacturers. The produced tires can be supplied from tire production 304 to workshops. The produced tires can be supplied from tire production 304 to tire dealers (not shown). Tire dealers can supply the tires to workshops and / or vehicle owners (not shown). The supply of tires can be performed using one or more distribution centers (not shown). Vehicle manufacturers can produce vehicles with tires produced by tire production 304 already attached (e.g., with new tires already attached). The produced vehicles can be supplied to end users, who can use the vehicles and, therefore, the tires attached to the vehicles, in the use phase 305.

[0148] The use phase 305 may include tire repair. The use phase 305 may include replacing tires currently on a vehicle. Tire repair and / or tire replacement may be performed by a workshop. For example, a workshop may replace a worn tire (e.g., a tire that is no longer usable on the vehicle) attached to a vehicle with a new tire produced by tire production 304. For example, a workshop may repair a flat tire to extend the tire's useful life.

[0149] The tire value chain may further include the collection of used tires 310. Used tires may be collected at a return point. Used tires may be provided to the return point by a workshop. Used tires may be provided to the return point by a tire dealer (not shown). Used tires may be collected from workshops and / or tire dealers and stored at the return point. The return point may be an initial collection center. The initial collection center may provide the collected used tires to a central return point. The return point may be a central return point. At the return point (such as a central return point), the received used tires may be inspected and further processing may be determined. If the used tire is no longer usable for transportation, it may be provided to a tire recycler. If the used tire can be retreaded, it may be provided to a retreading company. If the used tire can be re-grooved, it may be provided to a re-grooving company (not shown). The used tire may be provided to an incineration facility or disposed of in a landfill.

[0150] Given the various options for tire reuse, existing collection and recycling chains are highly fragmented, and only a small portion of used tires is reused or put back into the material stream. To increase the reuse rate of used tires and reduce the impact on the environment, the methods, devices, and systems proposed herein provide for more robust and efficient processing of used tires. In particular, connecting participants in the tire ecosystem via a decentralized network allows for data sharing or exchange between participants in the decentralized network to improve tire reuse. Tires are merely one example to which the methods, devices, and systems proposed herein may be applied. Other products may be processed in a similar manner, and the example of tires as one possible product to be processed should not be construed as limiting.

[0151] Figure 4 An example of a method or apparatus for exchanging tire data between participants of a tire ecosystem, as one possible example of a product ecosystem, is schematically illustrated.

[0152] A tire 110 produced by a tire manufacturer may be provided in association with a tire pass. The tire pass may include a tire identifier. The tire identifier may include one or more decentralized identifiers. A decentralized identifier may be an identifier in a decentralized network that allows data exchange via the decentralized network. Data exchange may include discovering decentralized identifiers of participants in the decentralized network, authenticating participants in the decentralized network, and / or authorizing data transmission via peer-to-peer communication between participants in the decentralized network. The tire pass may include data associated with the tire. The tire pass may include a digital representation of tire data associated with the tire 110.

[0153] The tire pass may further include or relate to authentication and / or authorization information linked to the tire identifier. The authentication and / or authorization information may be provided for authenticating and / or authorizing the data-providing service and / or data-consuming service 210, 214. The tire identifier may include, may be, or relate to at least one decentralized identifier uniquely associated with the tire. The decentralized identifier may be connected to a digital representation of tire data associated with the tire 110. The digital representation may include a representation for accessing the tire data or a portion thereof. The decentralized identifier may include a universally unique identifier (UUID) or a digital identifier (DID). The decentralized identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner and / or the tire. The data owner may be the tire manufacturer. Access to the tire data may be controlled by the data owner via the decentralized identifier and its unique association with the data owner and / or tire.

[0154] A tire passport including a digital representation of tire data may be stored in a decentralized database 200. Tire data may be stored in a database 202 associated with a data owner, such as a producer 304 of the tire.

[0155] Tire 110 can be physically delivered to a user who uses tire 110. The tire can be associated with an identification number that encodes a tire identifier, particularly a decentralized identifier. The tire user can read the identification number using an ID reader 206. The tire identifier can be provided to a database 208 associated with the tire user. In other embodiments, the tire user can retrieve the tire identifier from decentralized database 200.

[0156] In this example, the data owner can be a tire manufacturer, any intermediate product producer that produces intermediate products used in tires, or any producer of chemical products used in tire production. Tire users, tire workshops, recyclers, collectors, or sorters of used tires can all be data owners in the tire ecosystem. Data owners can include any entity in the tire production chain that generates data. The data generation node can be coupled to the data owner, or to the entity that owns or produces the physical product from which or for which the data is generated. The data can be generated by a third-party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical product from which or for which the data is generated.

[0157] The data consuming services 210, 214 may include computer-executable instructions for accessing and / or processing data associated with a data owner (e.g., tire data). The data providing services 210, 214 may include computer-executable instructions for providing and / or processing data associated with a data owner (e.g., tire data) for access and / or processing by the data consuming services 210, 214.

[0158] The tire identifier can be provided from database 208 to data consumption service 210, as indicated by arrow 222. Based on the received tire identifier, data consumption service 210 can trigger a request to access tire data associated with the tire identifier, as indicated by arrow 212. The tire identifier can be provided to data provision service 214 associated with tire producer 304 or a data provision service of the tire producer. Additionally, authentication and / or authorization information can be provided. The request can be authenticated and / or authorized to access tire data associated with the tire identifier. Based on successful authorization and / or authentication, access to the tire data associated with the tire identifier can be granted.

[0159] For access, the tire identifier may be provided to the data providing service 214, as indicated by arrow 212. The data providing service 214 may use the received tire identifier to retrieve tire data associated with the tire 304, as indicated by arrows 218 and 221. The tire data associated with the tire provided to the data providing service 214 may be provided to the data consuming service 210, as indicated by arrow 216. The tire data associated with the tire may be stored in the database 208 associated with the user of the tire, as indicated by arrow 220.

[0160] Tire data can be uniquely associated with a tire using a tire identifier, particularly a decentralized identifier. Tire data can be transmitted between tire producers and tire users via a decentralized network. This allows tire data to be shared directly among ecosystem participants, uniquely associated with the tire and without the need for a central intermediary. This ensures transparency of tire data throughout the tire ecosystem.

[0161] Similarly, in addition to providing tire data, reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions can be provided. These reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions can be uniquely associated with a used tire using a tire identifier, particularly a decentralized identifier. Through a decentralized network, these reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions can be transmitted between participants in the tire ecosystem (such as workshops, recyclers, sorters, and / or collectors). This allows reuse triggers, control and / or monitoring data, and / or reuse instructions to be shared directly among participants in the decentralized network, potentially without the need for a central intermediary, through their unique association with the used tire. This mechanism allows for more efficient recovery of materials used in tires and allows for reuse, for example, through reuse, re-grooving, retreading, or material recycling. Thus, the digital backbone architecture makes the use of used tires and tire materials more environmentally friendly. The digital backbone architecture allows used tire materials to be reliably reintegrated into the production of new materials. This enhances material recycling and broadens the range of diverse end products made from these materials. The digital backbone allows for the reliable reuse of used tires, reducing the environmental impact of materials. This enhances material reuse by digitally tracking them and ensures that waste products are disposed of in an environmentally friendly and efficient manner.

[0162] Figures 5a to 5c An example of a method or apparatus for providing data associated with tire production, tire usage, and disposal of used tires to participants connected via a decentralized network in an entire tire ecosystem is schematically illustrated.

[0163] Figure 5a A portion of a tire ecosystem is shown, including tire production 304 and use of the produced tires 308, such as in the manufacture of vehicles. In this example, input material providers, tire producers, and tire consumers can be connected via a decentralized network, such as Figure 4 Data on the input materials and the produced tires can be accessed via Figure 4 The ID-based protocol described in the context of [ 1 ] is provided in the form of a pass associated with a physical entity, such as an input material, a tire, or a vehicle to which a produced tire is attached. IDs associated with different entities can be linked in such a way that the physical connection between the physical entities is reflected via a digital link between the corresponding IDs. For example, the linked IDs associated with the physical entities can be provided via a decentralized database or registry of a decentralized network. Participating nodes associated with participants in the tire network can retrieve such links or linked IDs associated with physical connections between physical entities in the tire ecosystem. The IDs can include decentralized identifiers for the decentralized network.

[0164] An input material provider may provide input material 302. Input material 302 may include, for example, Figures 1 to 3 The raw materials or intermediate materials described in the context of , such as dispersants, fillers, monomers and polymers. The input material data of the input material 302 can be provided by (a plurality of) data providers associated with (a plurality of) input material providers connected to the decentralized network (also referred to as (a plurality of) data providing services or nodes associated with the input material providers) 602, for example, Figure 4 described in the context of .

[0165] A tire manufacturer may produce tire(s) 404 using input material(s) 302 provided for tire production, e.g. Figures 1 to 4 The tire producer may access the input material data associated with the input material 302 via a data consumer (also referred to as a data consuming service or node associated with the tire producer) 606 connected to the decentralized network, for example, as Figure 4 The input material data may be retrieved from data provider(s) 602 associated with corresponding input material provider(s), e.g. Figure 4 The tire manufacturer may generate a tire pass associated with the tire 404 produced, for example, as Figure 4 The tire manufacturer may provide a tire pass and provide tire data via the pass through a data provider 602 connected to a decentralized network, for example, Figure 4 A tire consumer (such as a vehicle manufacturer or a workshop) can access tire data or parts of tire data associated with a produced tire 404 via a data consumer 606 connected to the decentralized network, for example, as Figure 4 described in the context of .

[0166] The corresponding data owners in this example could be the input material producer, the tire producer, and the tire consumer. Data owners can include any entity that generates data. A data generation node can be coupled to a data owner, or to an entity that owns or produces the physical artifact from which or for which the data was generated. The data can also be generated by a third-party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical artifact from which or for which the data was generated.

[0167] exist Figure 5aIn the example, a tire pass's decentralized identifier can be associated with a tire. This decentralized identifier can be provided to nodes associated with ecosystem participants. Using the tire-specific decentralized identifier, data associated with the tire can be collected across nodes associated with ecosystem participants (including, for example, participants in the production chain or participants using the tire assigned to the tire-specific decentralized identifier). For example, one or more environmental attributes associated with the tire can be derived from the environmental attribute(s) associated with the input material 302 or any other product entity present in the tire's value chain. Tire data collected during production may include static or dynamic characteristics of the tire. Tire data may relate to or include characteristics of the chemical material(s) used to produce the tire. Tire-associated data can be collected during the use of the tire attached to a vehicle. For example, this usage data can be collected by a workshop or by sensors associated with the tire or the vehicle to which it is attached. The decentralized identifier associated with the tire can be used to access tire data generated during tire use, such as lifespan data or maintenance data. Usage data may include data related to the use of the tire, such as distance traveled, average lifespan, type of vehicle to which the tire is attached, manufacturer of the vehicle to which the tire is attached, wear of the tire, current weight of the tire, maintenance data and / or weather conditions.

[0168] In this way, the tire data can represent a digital twin of the tire, including the tire's production history and / or the tire's usage history. Collecting data related to the tire's usage allows the tire's digital twin to be updated so that it reflects the tire's usage history. Data about the components used to produce the tire and data about the tire's usage can be used by return points, retreading companies, and / or recyclers to determine appropriate treatment for used tires based on the data. For example, tire recyclers (see, e.g., Figure 5b ) Appropriate recycling actions can be determined based on the data.

[0169] like Figure 3 As described in the context of , used tires can be provided to tire recyclers. Used tires can correspond to Figure 5b Input material 302 of a tire recycler 608 is shown. Tire data of the used tires 302 may be provided via a decentralized network by data provider(s) 602 associated with tire producers and / or vehicle manufacturers, such as Figure 4 Tire recycler 608 may recycle used tire(s) provided to the tire recycler, e.g., Figure 3 Tire recyclers can access tire data associated with used tires 302 via a decentralized network through a data consumer (also referred to as a data consumption service) 606, such as Figure 4 described in the context of .

[0170] The tire data may be retrieved from data provider(s) 602 associated with tire producers and / or vehicle manufacturers. Tire recyclers may generate recycled product certificates associated with products obtained through recycling, such as pyrolysis oil or carbon black 404. Pyrolysis oil may be formed when shredded tires are pyrolyzed, for example, as Figure 3 Tire recyclers can generate a pyrolysis oil pass that includes compositional data for the pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil compositional data can indicate a mixture of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons having 5 to 46 carbon atoms. The hydrocarbons can be saturated or unsaturated. Unsaturated hydrocarbons can include aromatic hydrocarbons. Examples of aromatic hydrocarbons can include monoaromatics, diaromatics, and triaromatics, as well as polycyclic aromatics. Examples of non-aromatic compounds can include paraffins, monocycloalkanes, dicycloalkanes, and cycloalkanes. The pyrolysis oil compositional data can indicate up to 30 wt.% of hydrocarbons having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, up to 60 wt.% of hydrocarbons having 11 to 20 carbon atoms, up to 10 wt.% of hydrocarbons having 21 to 30 carbon atoms, and less than 10 wt.% of hydrocarbons having 31 to 46 carbon atoms.

[0171] Tire recycler 608 may, for example, Figure 4 In the context of the protocol described above, the recycled product data or a portion thereof contained in the recycled product passport is provided by a data provider 602 connected to a decentralized network. In this example, the corresponding data owners may be tire producers 304 and / or vehicle manufacturers, and tire recyclers 608.

[0172] exist Figure 5b In one example, a decentralized identifier can be associated with a recycled product. This decentralized identifier can be provided to tire ecosystem participants. Data associated with the recycling of the tire can be collected and assigned to the decentralized identifier via the decentralized identifier. The decentralized identifier can be associated with a tire-specific decentralized identifier. Thus, data about the tire used to produce the recycled product can be derived from the decentralized identifier contained in the recycled product pass. For example, a recycled material pass can contain the decentralized identifier contained in the tire pass and data regarding the relationship between the decentralized tire identifier contained in the recycled material pass and the decentralized identifier.

[0173] Products obtained by recycling tires, such as carbon black, can be provided to tire producers 304 and used as input materials 302 to produce new tires (see, e.g., Figure 3). Tire producer 304 may retrieve data about such products from data provider 602 associated with tire recycler 608 via data consumer 606, e.g. Figure 4 The input material providers of the tire producer 304 may correspond to raw material suppliers (multiple), intermediate product producers (multiple), or tire recyclers (multiple).

[0174] Products obtained by recycling tires (e.g., pyrolysis oil) can be provided to chemical producers that produce chemical materials (e.g., raw materials and intermediates) using the pyrolysis oil as input material 302. Thus, the pyrolysis oil produced by the tire recycler 608 can correspond to the input material 302 of the chemical material producer operating the chemical production network 610, e.g., Figure 5c The pyrolysis oil data of the pyrolysis oil 302 may be provided by a data provider(s) 602 associated with a tire recycler 608 connected to a decentralized network, such as Figure 4 Chemical production network 610 can produce one or more raw materials and / or intermediates 404, e.g. Figure 3 Examples of raw materials and intermediate products are described in the context of pyrolysis oil 302. Examples of raw materials include monomers used to make synthetic rubber. Examples of intermediate products include dispersants, fillers, and polymers such as synthetic rubber. Chemical producers operating chemical production network 610 can access pyrolysis data associated with pyrolysis oil 302 through data consumers 606 connected to the distributed network, such as Figure 4 The pyrolysis oil data may be retrieved from a data provider 602 associated with a tire recycler 608. A chemical producer may generate a chemical product pass associated with the chemical products produced (e.g., monomers, polymers, fillers, and dispersants). The chemical producer may provide the chemical product data or a portion thereof contained in the chemical product pass via a data provider 602 connected to a decentralized network, e.g., Figure 4 Chemical product data may include environmental attributes associated with chemical products, such as recycled content from using pyrolysis oil obtained from recycled tires. In this example, the corresponding data owners may be tire recycler 608 and a chemical producer operating chemical production network 610.

[0175] exist Figure 5cIn the example, a decentralized identifier can be associated with a chemical product. This decentralized identifier can be provided to value chain participants. Data associated with the produced chemical product can be collected via the decentralized identifier and assigned to the decentralized identifier. The decentralized identifier can include a decentralized identifier specific to pyrolysis oil and / or a decentralized identifier specific to tires. Thus, data about tires indirectly used to produce chemical products can be derived from the decentralized identifier contained in the chemical product pass. Furthermore, environmental attributes associated with the pyrolysis oil can be derived from the decentralized identifier contained in the recycled material pass associated with the pyrolysis oil produced by tire recycler 608.

[0176] Chemical products produced by chemical production network 610 can be provided as input materials 302 to tire production 304, e.g. Figure 5a Tire producer 304 can retrieve chemical product data provided by data consumer 606 associated with chemical production network 610 via data consumer 606, as shown. Figure 4 The decentralized identifier of a chemical product pass can be associated with a decentralized identifier of a tire pass, which is associated with a tire produced from the chemical product. In this way, the environmental properties of the chemical product and the tire produced from the chemical product 302 can be tracked all the way through the value chain to the tire. By tracking the environmental properties of the tire in this way, information can be made transparent throughout the tire ecosystem, while the flow of information can be controlled by participants in the tire ecosystem. In addition, the production operating system can process environmental properties according to the needs of each participant. Overall, this tracking enables the tracking of the positive environmental impact of each tire value chain participant, making the positive environmental impact transparent and attributable to each tire value chain participant.

[0177] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used products, such as tires as an example of used products, is schematically shown. In the example, tires are used for illustrative purposes only and are similarly applicable to other used products, such as batteries.

[0178] A reuse trigger can be generated by a node associated with a participant in the tire ecosystem. This participant can be a workshop that repairs or replaces tires for vehicles or a collector of used tires. To generate a reuse trigger, the tire's ID can be read via an ID reader or manually entered into an application (such as a mobile app). A tire may reach its reuse stage when its tread is worn down to, for example, less than 4 mm or when it has a defect that cannot be repaired.

[0179] Based on providing the tire identification, a decentralized identifier associated with the used tire can be retrieved via a decentralized network. For example, the tire identification can be provided to a decentralized database or a decentralized registry that stores decentralized identifiers related to the tire identification. The decentralized database can be a database that includes decentralized identifiers of tires in the tire ecosystem. The decentralized database can include a distributed ledger and can allow verification of the tire identifier. Further, for example, the decentralized identifier can be retrieved from a registry that stores decentralized identifiers related to the tire identification and associated with the participant that triggered the reuse trigger. Further, for example, the decentralized identifier can be obtained from a registry associated with any participant in the tire ecosystem, such as a tire producer or a tire user. The participant that triggered the reuse event can connect to nodes associated with other participants of the tire ecosystem, such as, for example, via the authentication and / or authorization protocol of the decentralized network. Figure 4 or as described in the context of FIG. 5 .

[0180] The reuse trigger may include a decentralized identifier associated with the tire and condition data associated with the used tire. The condition data may include characteristics of the used tire, such as the tire's tread depth or a tire defect that declared it scrapped. Visual inspection data, such as image data provided by a smartphone camera, may also be included.

[0181] A reuse trigger, including a decentralized identifier associated with a used tire, can be provided to any node associated with a participant in the tire ecosystem that collects tires. For example, a reuse trigger can be provided to a node associated with a tire producer, a chemical producer that supplies the tire production chain, or a recycler. The reuse trigger can be sent to a node associated with the corresponding participant.

[0182] Based on providing a reuse trigger, control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires can be generated. To generate this control and / or monitoring data, additional data, particularly data related to at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used tire, can be retrieved from nodes associated with various participants in the tire ecosystem. For example, tire production data can be retrieved from the tire manufacturer, including composition data associated with the materials comprising the used tire. Furthermore, for example, tire usage data (including maintenance data associated with the tire during its use) can be retrieved from nodes associated with the workshop, or workshop data associated with the vehicle used with the tire can be retrieved from nodes associated with the workshop. Furthermore, for example, tire usage data (including lifespan data associated with the tire) can be retrieved from the vehicle used with the tire. Furthermore, for example, sensor data associated with measured properties of the used tire can be retrieved from any node associated with, for example, a workshop or collector. In this way, physical and / or chemical properties of the used tire can be collected. The physical and / or chemical properties can be measured properties of the used tire, such as image or IR sensor data. The physical and / or chemical properties may be determined based on tire data collected via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used tire, such as composition data or usage data related to repair, retreading, re-grooving, etc.

[0183] Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by associating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used tire to a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used tire, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used tire by one or more devices configured to reuse the used tire. The processing characteristic may relate to the reuse process performed by the device. Based on the provided physical and / or chemical characteristics, the processing characteristic required for reuse can be determined, and from this, the appropriate device(s) configured to reuse the used tire can be determined. The device(s) configured to reuse the used product processes the used product by transforming, refurbishing or recycling the used product.

[0184] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to modify or refurbish used products may depend on a physical characteristic, such as tread depth. Physical characteristics, such as tread depth, may be provided by measurement, such as by one or more tire images showing the tread. Tread depth may be reconstructed from one or more tire images by image analysis (e.g., including object detection or reconstruction). Physical characteristics, such as tread depth, may be provided by measurement, such as depth measurement via an IR sensor or other distance-sensitive sensor.

[0185] The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to recycle the used product may relate to at least one chemical characteristic of the used product. Chemical characteristics of the tire, such as tire composition or the content of a specific component (e.g., carbon black), may be provided upon request and transmitted between nodes of the decentralized network via the peer-to-peer communication network.

[0186] Processing characteristics of one or more devices that match the physical and / or chemical characteristics of used products can be stored in a centralized or decentralized database or storage device. These processing characteristics can be collected from one or more network nodes associated with product recyclers connected via a decentralized network. The network node from which the processing characteristics of one or more devices are collected can be selected based on at least one characteristic of the used product provided. For example, if a sensor measurement indicates a tread of less than 4 mm and a retreading status provided by a workshop indicates retreading, a node equipped with a reuse trigger can collect processing characteristics of one or more devices configured for reuse, such as through recycling, and match them with the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used tire. Based on this matching, appropriate device(s) configured for reuse can be selected. Thus, by associating and / or correlating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used tire with the processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used product, control and / or monitoring data can be generated. Thus, the control and / or monitoring data can include at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used tire and / or at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used tire. In addition to this matching, machine-readable instructions can be generated for processing the used tire by one or more devices configured to reuse the used tire. Such instructions can link multiple decentralized identifiers associated with the used tire to at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used tire. In this way, tires can be digitally assigned to specific devices based on their characteristics at the time of scrapping. In other words, these methods can provide a second life or recycling recommender, ensuring that used tires ultimately end up in a suitable reuse stream, such as refurbishment, retreading, recycling, etc.

[0187] In addition to simply matching and finding suitable reuse, the matching can be further refined by providing recyclable data that is related to one or more recyclable compositions collected to be re-entered into the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by associating and / or correlating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product with the recyclable data. The recyclable data can relate to recyclable streams associated with recyclables that can be produced by recycling the old product or its (multiple) parts. For example, recyclable data can be collected from one or more nodes associated with one or more producers (such as (multiple) chemical producers or (multiple) product producers). Recyclable data can relate to one or more recyclable compositions to be re-entered into the production of one or more producers. Recyclable data of recyclable compositions can relate to the amount of recyclables to be re-entered into the production of one or more producers. This amount can indicate the demand for one or more recyclable compositions. Based on the material composition data collected for multiple old products, the recyclable composition to be produced from such old products can be determined.

[0188] Control and / or monitoring data can be generated by matching the production data relevant to one or more material compositions contained in the old product or its (multiple) parts with the recyclable material data relevant to one or more recyclable materials compositions to be thrown back into the production of one or more producers. Based on matching, control and / or monitoring data for the recyclable material composition of production matching can be generated. By the decentralized identifier associated with the old product as provided by the reuse trigger, control and / or monitoring data can relate to the old product for producing the recyclable material that is for example in demand and / or to be thrown back into the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can include one or more decentralized identifiers associated with the old product for producing the recyclable material that is for example in demand and / or to be thrown back into the production of one or more producers. Control and / or monitoring data can include machine-readable instructions for processing the old product.

[0189] The control and / or monitoring data and / or machine-readable instructions may further include instructions for processing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to modifying the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to refurbishing or reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data and / or instructions may relate to recycling the used product.

[0190] The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to provide the used product or at least a portion thereof to a chemical and / or physical treatment plant associated with a producer (such as a chemical product producer or product producer) or a recycler. The control and / or monitoring data can be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used product. The control and / or monitoring data can relate to chemical and / or physical treatment of the used product or its (multiple) portions to recover chemical materials as recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data can relate to (multiple) chemical and / or physical treatment methods suitable for processing the used product or its (multiple) portions to produce recyclables. The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used product. The control and / or monitoring data can be provided to one or more nodes of a distributed network, wherein the one or more nodes can be associated with a recycler for, for example, transformation, refurbishment, recycling and / or reproduction. The control and / or monitoring data may include specifications for a reuse method (e.g., a recycling method), recyclables to be produced, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses the recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a reuse process for, for example, reforming, refurbishing, recycling, and / or reproducing old products may be initialized and / or controlled.

[0191] The control and / or monitoring data used to initiate the reuse of the used tire can be provided to any node associated with a participant of the decentralized network. For example, the control and / or monitoring data can be provided to a node associated with a participant that triggers a reuse event, or the control and / or monitoring data can be provided to a node associated with a participant that needs to reuse the used tire (such as a retreader, re-treader, collector, recycler, and / or producer that reuses the used tire or recycled material).

[0192] Figure 7 Examples of methods or apparatus for generating control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires (as an example of used products) and for controlling and / or monitoring the processing of used tires are schematically illustrated.

[0193] Reuse triggers can be generated and provided, such as Figure 6The reuse trigger may be generated, for example, by a reuse trigger generator node 802 associated with a workshop participant or a tire user. The reuse trigger may be associated with a tire. The reuse trigger may include a tire identifier. The reuse trigger may include or relate to status data indicating the condition of the used tire. The status data associated with the tire may relate to characteristics of the used tire. The status data may relate to physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used tire. The status data may include at least one chemical and / or physical characteristic of the used tire. The status data may include image data related to the condition of the used tire. The image may be analyzed via an image algorithm to provide status data, such as tread depth or tread condition. The status data may include near-infrared data. The near-infrared data may be analyzed to provide status data, such as at least a portion of the material composition of the used tire or the material condition of the used tire. The status data may relate to the tread depth of the used tire, the age of the used tire, damage or repair status of the used tire, tread condition of the used tire, a portion of the material composition of the used tire, the material condition of the used tire, or a combination thereof.

[0194] Based on a reuse trigger, control and / or monitoring data associated with tire reuse can be generated by the control data generator node 804. Based on a decentralized identifier provided by the reuse trigger, tire data associated with the tire can be collected, for example, by a tire data collector, from one or more participating nodes in a decentralized network. Tire data can be retrieved from various nodes associated with participants in the tire ecosystem (e.g., tire manufacturers or any tire users). Tire data can be associated with the history of used tires. Tire data can include tire characteristics such as original tread depth, tire type, tire production date, tire material composition, tire retread status, tire repair status, tire origin, or a combination thereof. Tire data can be collected from various nodes associated with participants in the tire ecosystem. For example, monitoring data (such as the tread depth, retread status, and / or repair status of used tires) can be collected from nodes associated with workshop participants, or the monitoring data can be part of a reuse trigger. Production data (such as tire type, tire age, tire material composition or a portion thereof, tire origin) can be collected from nodes associated with tire manufacturers. Other monitoring data related to the use of tires with vehicles may be collected from nodes associated with the vehicle or from vehicle manufacturers participating in the tire ecosystem.

[0195] To collect production and / or monitoring data, a decentralized tire identifier can be used. The decentralized tire identifier can be linked to a decentralized vehicle identifier or a decentralized manufacturer identifier. This link can be made available to one or more participants in the tire ecosystem. For example, if monitoring data can be collected about a tire while it is in use with a vehicle, the decentralized tire identifier can be provided to a decentralized database, where links between decentralized identifiers associated with the tire and the vehicle can be stored. In another example, a reuse trigger can include link information to the vehicle. Monitoring data can be retrieved based on the decentralized vehicle identifier.

[0196] To generate control and / or monitoring data, collected tire data associated with the used tire can be analyzed, for example, by a tire data analyzer. The analysis can be based on the used tire condition data, tire production data, tire monitoring data, and / or recyclable material data associated with the tire. At least one physical and / or chemical property of the used tire can be determined based on the production and / or monitoring data collected via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used tire.

[0197] The physical and / or chemical characteristics of the used tire may relate to the physical and / or chemical condition of the tire. Based on this condition, control and / or monitoring data may be generated, for example, by a control data provider. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may indicate tire wear, including the used tire's tread depth, current tread wear condition, damage or repair condition, contamination condition, regrooving or retreading condition, location / region, size, and age. The regrooving or retreading condition may be determined based on the tire's decentralized identifier and the tire data associated therewith.

[0198] If the tread depth exceeds a minimum threshold, such as 4 mm, the tread wear indicates uniform tread wear, for example, via image recognition, the damage or repair status indicates no damage or repair, and the age is below a minimum threshold (e.g., less than 6 years), control and / or monitoring data for rebuilding the tire can be generated. This control and / or monitoring data can include the tread depth of the old tire and a decentralized identifier for the old tire. The control and / or monitoring data can be provided to a rebuilding node 806, which is, for example, associated with a tire dealer that sells the used tires.

[0199] If the tread depth exceeds a minimum threshold, such as less than 4 mm, the re-treading condition indicates no re-treading, and the age indicates less than a minimum threshold (e.g., less than 6 years), control and / or monitoring data for re-treading may be generated. Such control and / or monitoring data may include the tread depth to be re-treaded and a decentralized identifier of the old tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node for re-treading 808, which may be associated with, for example, a re-treader.

[0200] If the tread depth does not exceed a minimum threshold, such as less than 4 mm, the repair, damage, or retread status indicates no damage, no repair, or no retreading, the material composition allows retreading, and the age indicates less than a minimum threshold (e.g., less than 6 years), control and / or monitoring data for retreading may be generated. This control and / or monitoring data may include at least a portion of the material composition of the tire and a decentralized identifier for the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node 810 for retreading, such as one associated with a retreader.

[0201] If the tread depth does not exceed a minimum threshold, such as less than 4 mm, and is still above a lower limit (e.g., 3 mm), the damage, repair, regrooving, or retreading condition indicates that any of these conditions are true, or the age indicates that it is above a minimum threshold (e.g., more than 6 years), then control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated. This control and / or monitoring data can include at least a portion of the material composition of the tire and a decentralized identifier for the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data can be provided to a node for recycling 812, which is, for example, associated with one or more participants in the recycling chain or one or more recyclers.

[0202] Via such a decision tree, control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated by associating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the used tire to a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used tire. In the case of reconstruction, the tread depth as a physical property can be associated and / or related to a minimum tread depth for a reconstruction device. In the case of retreading, the tread depth and material composition as physical and chemical properties can be associated and / or related to a minimum tread depth and a suitable material composition for a retreading device. In the case of recycling, the material composition as a chemical property can be associated and / or related to a suitable material composition for a recycling device.

[0203] In particular, the composition of a used tire, or a portion thereof, can be provided to a node associated with a recycler. The material composition can indicate the tire's composition, including PET, PA6, PA6.6, steel, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or a combination thereof. The used tire's decentralized identifier can be linked to one or more decentralized identifiers associated with one or more recycling facilities. The assignment of the used tire's decentralized identifier to the decentralized identifiers associated with one or more recycling facilities can be based on the tire's material configuration. For example, tires containing PET fibers can be assigned separately from tires containing PA6 fibers. The recycling facility(ies) can include mechanical recycling facilities or chemical recycling facilities (such as pyrolysis facilities or desulfurization facilities). For example, a used tire can be provided to a mechanical recycling facility to separate PET, PA6.6, PA6, or steel tire cord. The remaining portion can be provided to a chemical recycling facility to recover silica, carbon black, and / or rubber. In other embodiments, the used tire can be shredded, or the remaining portion after separating the tire cord can be provided to a facility for reprocessing the shredded tire. Recycling can include shredding the used tire. Crushed tires can be used in various applications depending on their size. For example, coarse fragments ranging from 50 to 250 mm can be used as drainage material and a natural gravel replacement. Fine fragments ranging from 15 to 50 mm can be used as a base for water purification ground layers and as a natural gravel replacement. Granules up to 6 mm in size can be used for rubberized asphalt, foundry tailings, or as infill for artificial turf. The powder can be incorporated into paint for sound attenuation or used as a subcomponent in the manufacture of new tires and other molded products.

[0204] In addition to the physical and / or chemical characteristics of tires, recyclables data related to recyclable streams to be reintroduced into production at one or more producers can be collected, for example, from nodes associated with chemical producers. If recyclable streams associated with the recyclables component of used tires are needed to produce new materials, control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated.

[0205] The control and / or monitoring data may include machine-readable instructions for processing a used tire, the machine-readable instructions including at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used tire and at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may be associated with one or more process steps for reusing the used tire. The control and / or monitoring data may relate to chemically and / or physically processing the used tire or portion(s) thereof to recover chemical materials as recyclables.

[0206] The control and / or monitoring data can be configured to initialize a process for reusing at least one used tire. The control and / or monitoring data can be provided to one or more nodes of a decentralized network, wherein the one or more nodes can be associated with a reuser for, for example, transforming, repairing, recycling, and / or reproducing used tires. The control and / or monitoring data can include specifications for a reuse method (such as a recycling method), recyclables to be produced, a recycler identifier, and / or a chemical producer identifier associated with a chemical producer that uses recyclables as input materials to produce new output materials. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a reuse process for, for example, transforming, repairing, recycling, and / or reproducing used tires can be initialized. Based on the generated control and / or monitoring data, a reuse process for, for example, transforming, repairing, recycling, and / or reproducing used tires can be controlled and / or monitored. For example, a recycling process can be controlled and / or monitored based on the material composition indicated by the control and / or monitoring data.

[0207] Figure 8 An example of a method or apparatus for exchanging tire data and control and / or monitoring data associated with the reuse of used tires between participants of a tire ecosystem as an example product ecosystem is schematically illustrated.

[0208] In the example, a reuse trigger may be provided to a node associated with a chemical producer 700. The node associated with the chemical producer may generate control and / or monitoring data. This control and / or monitoring data may be provided to a node associated with a used tire holder 702 for recycling used tires. Figure 9 A user interface for recycling a used tire is schematically shown when the used tire is available for delivery to a used tire owner 702. The user interface 900 may display information about the tire, such as an indication that the tire has reached end-of-life and end-of-life parameters 902. The user interface 900 may display instructions for recycling 904, such as recycling. The user interface 900 may also display a pickup date 908 and a pickup location 910 to inform the used tire owner 702 of the next steps.

[0209] The old tire can be transported to the old tire recycler 704, to carry out mechanical and / or chemical recycling, such as the old tire or at least a portion thereof is subjected to pyrolysis. Recycling can include desulfurization of the old tire. Desulfurization can be performed by a tire recycling company. The tread of the old tire can be used to perform desulfurization. Mechanical, microwave, chemical or biological processes can be used to perform desulfurization to destroy the sulfur bonds formed during vulcanization. The recycled material can be mixed into new tires and other rubber products that can be used to absorb sound, vibration and impact. Recycling can include pyrolysis of the old tire. Pyrolysis can be performed in a tire recycling company. The old tire can be shredded and heated in an oxygen-free atmosphere.

[0210] Pyrolysis products can include oil, steel, and non-condensable gases. Approximately one-third of a tire's weight is steel, one-third becomes char (carbon black plus additives), and the final one-third is oil and gas. A tire pyrolysis system can include an indirect-fired rotary kiln, steel recovery, coke handling, grinding and pelletizing circuits, an oil condensation system, and a gas purification system.

[0211] Recycled products (such as pyrolysis oil or PA6) can be provided to chemical producers 700 for the production of new materials. Tire recyclers can provide chemical producers 700 with recycled material data related to the composition of the recycled materials. A portion of the recycled materials can be reused in the production of new tires. For example, carbon black obtained through pyrolysis and / or materials obtained through desulfurization can be provided to tire production 304.

[0212] By processing used products (such as tires) as proposed, the materials used for these products can be effectively reused. This reduces the environmental impact of material flows by reusing these products in secondary uses until the used products can no longer be reused. Once this end-of-life condition is reached, the materials used for these products can be recovered and reintegrated into the production of new products as recycled material. By processing used products in a data-driven manner based on their physical and / or chemical properties via a decentralized peer-to-peer network, reuse can be effectively controlled and more used products can be reused, thereby increasing the amount of recycled products and reducing their environmental impact.

[0213] The examples listed above regarding tires apply similarly to other used products, such as old batteries, old cars, old fabrics, old mattresses, old car parts, etc.

[0214] For example, in the case of a battery, the logic as described herein may be applied. Figures 6 to 8The reuse trigger may be provided as described in the context of . The physical and / or chemical characteristics may relate to measured characteristics of the used battery. For example, the measured characteristics may relate to a damage state, such as that derivable from image data or charge-discharge cycles. The physical and / or chemical characteristics may be determined based on battery data collected via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used battery. For example, the battery data may relate to the composition of the battery's cathode active material, which indicates the battery's chemical characteristics. Based on the physical and / or chemical characteristics, control and / or monitoring data may be generated by associating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used battery with a processing characteristic of one or more devices configured to reuse the used battery, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used battery by one or more devices configured to reuse the used battery. The processing characteristics of one or more devices configured to reuse the used battery may be associated and / or related to the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the battery. For example, if the used battery exhibits physical damage, it may not be reconstructed and provided for recycling. Furthermore, for example, if the capacity, for example, derivable from the charge and discharge curves measured for the old battery, is below a threshold value (the threshold value is, for example, 20% to 30% lower than the capacity of an equivalent unused battery), the battery can be modified for use in a second-life application. For example, an electric vehicle battery can be modified to be used as a buffer in an energy grid application. Furthermore, for example, if the capacity, for example, derivable from the charge and discharge curves measured for the old battery, is below a threshold value (the threshold value is, for example, 40% to 70% lower than the capacity of an equivalent unused battery), the battery can be recycled. In addition to the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the battery, recyclables data related to recyclable streams to be reintroduced into the production of one or more producers can be collected, for example, from nodes associated with chemical producers. If recyclable streams associated with the recyclables component of the old battery are needed to produce new materials, control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated.

[0215] Further, for example, in the case of fabrics, the logic as described herein may be applied. Figures 6 to 8The reuse trigger may be provided as described in the context of . The physical and / or chemical properties may relate to measured properties of the old fabric. For example, the measured properties may relate to a damage state, such as may be derived from image data. The physical and / or chemical properties may be determined based on fabric data collected via at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old fabric. For example, the fabric data may relate to the composition of the fabric fibers, which indicates the chemical properties of the fabric. Based on the physical and / or chemical properties, control and / or monitoring data may be generated by associating and / or relating at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old fabric with a processing property of one or more devices configured to reuse the old fabric, and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the old fabric by one or more devices configured to reuse the old fabric. The processing property of one or more devices configured to reuse the old fabric may be related or associated with the physical and / or chemical properties of the fabric. For example, if the fabric does not appear damaged, the fabric may be resold. Furthermore, for example, if the old fabric is physically or chemically damaged, the fabric can be transformed into insulation or filling material, or if the old fabric is not suitable for transformation based on the fabric composition, the fabric can be provided for fabric recycling. In addition to the physical and / or chemical characteristics of the fabric, recyclables data related to recyclable streams to be reintroduced into production at one or more producers can be collected, for example, from nodes associated with chemical producers. If recyclable streams associated with the recyclables component of the old fabric are required to produce new materials, control and / or monitoring data for recycling can be generated.

[0216] In addition to the examples explicitly listed herein, further examples and embodiments may be implemented under the concepts of the present disclosure listed herein. The explicit examples should not be considered limiting and are merely illustrative of the concepts listed herein.

[0217] The present disclosure has also been described with reference to various preferred embodiments and examples. However, other variations can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art and those practicing the claimed invention from a study of the drawings, the present disclosure, and the claims.

[0218] Any steps presented herein may be performed in any order. The methods disclosed herein are not limited to a particular order of steps. They are not required to be performed in a particular location or on a particular computing node in a distributed system. In other words, each step may be performed on a different computing node using different equipment / data processing.

[0219] As used herein, "determining" also includes "initiating or causing a determination," "generating" also includes "initiating and / or causing generation," and "providing" also includes "initiating or causing determination, generation, selection, sending, and / or receiving." "Initiating or causing performance of an action" includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node or device to perform a corresponding action.

[0220] In the claims and description, "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage in an embodiment.

[0221] Any disclosure and embodiment described herein is related to the above-listed methods, systems, devices, computer program elements, and vice versa. Advantageously, the benefits provided by any embodiment and example are also applicable to all other embodiments and examples, and vice versa.

[0222] All terms and definitions used herein are to be understood broadly and have their ordinary meanings.

Claims

1. A method for treating at least one old product (100), the method comprising the following steps: providing at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact (100); collecting at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product (100), wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the old product (100), and / or wherein the physical and / or chemical property is determined based on product data collected via the at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product (100); generating control and / or monitoring data by correlating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product (100) with a processing characteristic of one or more devices (806 to 812) configured to reuse the used product (100), and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product (100) by one or more devices (806 to 812) configured to reuse the used product (100); The control and / or monitoring data is provided, the control and / or monitoring data including the machine-readable instructions for processing the used product (100) by one or more devices (806 to 812) configured to reuse the used product (100).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The at least one physical and / or chemical property is collected by optical measurement of the at least one physical and / or chemical property.

3. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic is collected by requesting product data associated with the old product via the at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product.

4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The requested product data relates to monitoring data collected during use of the product, wherein the physical and / or chemical properties are determined based on the monitoring data.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The requested product data relates to production data collected when producing the product, wherein the physical and / or chemical properties are determined based on the production data.

6. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The product data is collected from one or more network nodes associated with one or more product producers and / or users connected via a decentralized network, wherein the network nodes from which to collect the product data are selected based on a decentralized identifier associated with the old product.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The processing characteristics of the one or more devices are collected from one or more network nodes associated with an artifact reuser connected via a decentralized network, wherein the network nodes from which the processing characteristics of the one or more devices are to be collected are selected based on at least one characteristic of the old artifact.

8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The one or more devices configured to reuse the used product process the used product by reforming, refurbishing, or recycling the used product.

9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to transform or refurbish the old product involve at least one physical characteristic of the old product, wherein the processing characteristics of the one or more devices configured to recycle the old product involve at least one chemical characteristic of the old product.

10. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein Collecting recyclables data related to one or more recyclable compositions to be reintroduced into the production of the one or more producers, wherein control and / or monitoring data is generated by correlating at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with the recyclables data.

11. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The machine-readable instructions for processing the used artifact include at least one decentralized identifier associated with at least one device configured to reuse the used artifact and at least one decentralized identifier associated with the used artifact.

12. An apparatus for processing at least one waste product, the apparatus comprising: A trigger provider (802) configured to provide at least one reuse trigger, the at least one reuse trigger comprising at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old artifact; a data collector (804) configured to collect at least one physical and / or chemical property of the old product, wherein the physical and / or chemical property is a measured property of the old product, and / or wherein the physical and / or chemical property is determined based on product data collected via the at least one decentralized identifier associated with the old product; a control data generator (804) configured to generate control and / or monitoring data by correlating the at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the used product with a processing characteristic of one or more devices (806 to 812) configured to reuse the used product and / or by generating machine-readable instructions for processing the used product by the one or more devices (806 to 812) configured to reuse the used product; A control data provider (804) configured to provide the control and / or monitoring data, the control and / or monitoring data comprising the machine-readable instructions for processing the old artifact by one or more devices (806 to 812) configured to reuse the old artifact.

13. A system for processing at least one waste product, the system comprising: The device for processing the at least one used product according to claim 12, and At least one of the following devices: One or more devices (806 to 812) configured to reuse the used product; physical processing means for refurbishing the at least one used product or part(s) thereof; Chemical and / or physical treatment plants for recycling the used product or its fraction(s); Chemical and / or physical treatment means for recovering chemical materials from the used product or its fraction(s).

14. One or more chemical materials produced from the at least one used product or part(s) thereof by using the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or the control and / or monitoring data generated by the apparatus according to claim 12 or by the system(s) according to claim 13.

15. The use of the control and / or monitoring data provided by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or by the device according to claim 12 for controlling and / or monitoring the reuse of at least one old product and / or for reintroducing chemical materials recovered from at least one old product into one or more chemical production processes.

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