PRA Jan-Feb 2012 RJA Recycling

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Rubber Journal Asia Recycling

Getting to the bottom of recycling of tyres This article by Bob Wrighton takes a tour of

Why implement the process of recycling? ecycling is presently a big issue. Research show that recycling rates for tyres are actually quite high, with the US known to be the highest thrower of used tyres but not keeping up with recycling!

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tyre recycling, exploring new tyre technologies; recycling concepts and how the recycling process ought to be managed.

Geographic Recycling Geographic Recycling Area percentage Area Percentage

Recyclable airless tyres he history of the development of tyres is slightly parallel to the history of the development of the motor car. The motor car has been developing almost continuously but since the introduction of pneumatic tyres at the turn of the last century there have been remarkably few innovations in tyre manufacture, the last one being in 1903, when Goodyear patented a tubeless tyre. This concept didn’t catch on till the mid-1950s, when within five years of their introduction tubeless tyres killed the inner tube industry. So today’s tubeless tyre is one of the few century-old technologies still in general use. But breakthroughs have been made by Japanese tyre maker Bridgestone and French supplier Michelin on the introduction of airless tyres that are said to be safer, less wasteful and environment friendly in comparison with conventional pneumatic tyres. Michelin first came up with the airless tyre concept in 2005 and now Bridgestone has followed with models that are 100% recyclable. Introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, Bridgestone’s concept features a mesh of spokes that are made of thermoplastic resin that can be recycled back into a new tyre, eliminating the risk of the tyre landing up in a landfill. Until now, the company has been testing the tyre in one-seat vehicles and has introduced prototypes of 9 inches at this point only. It expects to scale up the technology to commercial stage soon.

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Western Europe 98%

Japan

91%

Eastern Europe

US

88%

87%

Major factors that are causing the recycling revolution include the increasing acceptance of global warming and climate change theories. Furthermore, in the book titled “Cradle to Cradle” by McDonough and Braungart (Northpoint Press, 2002), it is suggested that in nature, nothing goes to waste, but instead becomes an input for the next phase of existence. As such, the mountains of tyres that have reached the end of their useful life should not simply be discarded. Secondly, is the increasing availability of information about the components of products and the potential damage they can cause, for instance, in the process of life cycle assessment (LCA). As a result, companies that manufacture products that contain material harmful to the planet are required to take them back when they reach the end of their useful life. Underlying this is the pressure of legislation in some European countries and states in the US, especially California, that are imposing laws limiting the disposal of tyres. For instance, the European Landfill Directive forbids the disposal of used tyres in landfills and in 2006, it was expanded to include shredded tyres. Finally, companies are beginning to realise the benefits available from recycling tyres, especially the monetary value and money to be made from the recycling process!

Bridgestone’s recyclable airless tyre has a structure of spokes

Mountains of “black gold” churning profits ew vehicle sales of 13.5 million are forecast for 2012 and each will come with five tyres that need to be recycled at some point in the future. In tyre recycling, the process of pyrolysis is used where tyres are subjected to intense heat under controlled conditions resulting in the recovery of steel, oil and carbon black. The large residue from the process – the char – was previously unusable, which tended to make the process financially not viable, but new developments have made the char useful, which totally changes the economics now.

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stretching along the inner sides supporting the weight of the vehicle. The spoke is made from reusable thermoplastic resin and along with the rubber in the tread portion the materials used are 100% recyclable, in line with the company’s aim of achieving a “cradle to cradle” process

4 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2012

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PRA Jan-Feb 2012 RJA Recycling by Plastics & Rubber Asia - Issuu