Pyrolysis of scrap tyres produces an oil, carbon and gas product, in addition to the steel cord, all of which have the potential to be recycled. However, the technology has not been widely accepted as a process route due in part to a lack of interest in the derived products and cheaper alternative disposal routes. This paper describes the potential of pyrolysis of scrap tyres to produce enhanced products by improving the pyrolysis process. The carbon may be activated using conventional techniques to produce an activated carbon with properties similar to those obtained commercially. The influence of activation temperature, activating agent and residence time on the properties of the derived activated carbon are described. It was found that the residence time of the carbon at the activation temperature leads to increased carbon burn off and enhanced properties of the derived activated carbon. The oil from pyrolysis may be obtained in high yield depending on process conditions. Process developments utilising catalyst technology are described which produce an oil that may be used as a chemical feedstock rather than a fuel oil. The catalytic pyrolysis process produced a dramatic increase in the concentration of certain single-ring aromatic compounds in the derived oils after catalysis. For example, toluene reached a maximum value in the oil of 24 wt%, benzene 5 wt%, m- and p-xylenes 20 wt% and o-xylene 7 wt%.