Sky Quarry unveils plans for modular asphalt shingle recycling facilities

Sky Quarry Inc., a Woods Cross-based integrated energy company pioneering waste asphalt shingle recycling, has announced plans for a national rollout of modular facilities designed to expand the reach and scalability of the company’s proprietary technology and platform.

With downstream operations established at its Nevada refinery and midstream operations at its extraction facility in Woods Cross expected to be fully operational in 2025, the company is finalizing its plan to expand its upstream capabilities through the deployment of modular asphalt shingle recycling (ASR) units. Engineered for scalability and cost efficiency, these units will collect and process waste asphalt shingles, while producing sellable byproducts, such as sand and granules, for local and regional markets.

The remote placement of the ASR units will be chosen based on criteria that includes proximity to densely populated areas to minimize transportation costs, thereby reducing the environmental impact; placement in regions with high tipping fees to maximize economic returns; and accessibility to rail lines to streamline raw and processed material transport, the company said in releasing its plan.

The plan features two modular designs, resource processing units and resource extraction units.

The resource processing units will process waste shingle material by reducing its size, extracting sand and granule and compressing the remaining limestone powder and bitumen into briquettes for shipment to Utah for final extraction. This process decreases the asphalt waste material’s volume by 40 percent, lowering transportation costs. These units are 80 percent complete and nearly ready for shipping, the company said. They will target West Coast and Southwest deploment, with costs estimated to be between $500,000 and $1.5 million per unit, depending on capacity.

The resource extraction units will have oil extraction capabilities for local use by refineries or asphalt plants, ideal for areas where shipping shingles to Utah is not feasible. Currently in the design phase, these units are being developed to target the East Coast, Florida, Texas and the Midwest. Sky Quarry said each extraction facility, costing an estimated $12 million to build, is expected to recover its initial capital cost within 24 to 36 months after it is fully operational through revenues and profits generated from tipping fees and the sale of recovered materials at each facility.

“We believe Sky Quarry’s modular ASR facilities will offer significant economic, environmental and community benefits,” said David Sealock, CEO and chairman of Sky Quarry. “By enabling partnerships with local businesses and asphalt shingle manufacturers, these facilities will create a closed-loop system that promotes sustainability, reduces waste and minimizes reliance on virgin materials and transportation costs. Additionally, the sale of recovered materials such as sand, granules, and bitumen have the potential to stimulate regional economic growth while creating meaningful job opportunities.”