From Tyre Scrap to Value Added Products
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We Produce
Tyre Scrap
The World produces around 1.5 billion+ waste tyres that are generated every year worldwide, 6% are in India. In addition, India also imports around three lakh tonnes of tyres to recycle every year.
Waste tires are a modern-day hazard that pose a significant challenge to the World Despite recycling efforts and government regulations A, tires are still being disposed of improperly. Some consumers ignorantly stockpile them in vacant lots or knowingly dump them in vacant lots. Whatever the reason, there are long-term ramifications of these actions.
It is vital to understand the importance of recycling waste tires when they are removed from vehicles, as well as cleaning up old dump sites to mitigate the damaging environmental effects of these rotting rubber rings.
Wasting Natural Resources
Tire production is largely dependent on natural resources. Natural rubber is a primary component of many tires, and 90% of it comes from the rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) that are grown in Southeast Asia. After planting, these trees take five to six years to mature. Once they are full-grown, the trees must be sapped every day for the next 20-25 years. In the place of this scarce resource, synthetic rubber can also be used. However, this rubber comes at the cost of one barrel of oil per tire. Every new tire manufactured chips away at our limited natural resources.
What is Rubber Mulch?
Rubber mulch is made from used rubber tyres which have had the steel bands removed and are shredded into pellets, or crumb, of various sizes. Magnets are used to try to remove all the leftover bits of metal that could cause injury, after which colours can be added to the shredded rubber to give it a better appearance.
It is fast becoming a popular playground surface mostly because rubber is naturally a great shock absorber. It is also used for covering sports surfaces like equestrian centres, artificial football pitches and even for landscaping purposes.
Rubber mulch requires little maintenance, raking or replacing, and since it’s heavier than some natural alternatives it doesn’t blow around when it’s windy or wash away so easily in the rain.
It can last up to 10 years before it will need replacing.
This is all great, isn’t it…?
More Research is Needed
One thing is certain, more research is required on the health and environmental impacts of using rubber mulch before it can be confidently chosen as a safe product to use as a children’s playground surface, or even for use as a landscaping surface.
The Market for Recycled Steel
While demand for recyclable steel is high worldwide, a significant number of rubber recycling plants do not recycle the steel wire that they remove from tires. With scrap steel in high demand and easy to recycle, it seems an obvious thing to do, but there are several reasons businesses take a pass on this process—the first and foremost being the widely fluctuating market for steel.
Another major factor affecting pricing is the quality of the steel product. Straight from the tire, steel wire contains a certain level of contamination, making it a lower quality form of recyclable steel. It may have anywhere from 3%-25% rubber and fiber. As such, it does not carry the same price tag as more pure steel does. The steel wire requires further cleaning before it can be processed in a recycling plant.
The market price of recyclable tire wire also varies with the physical condition of the product. Once removed from the tires, the steel has a large surface area exposed to the air. This exposure causes the metal to rust, particularly when it is stored improperly. Taking care to process and store the wire in a protected space will protect the wire from weathering and increase profits when sold. Additionally, briquetting or baling the steel wire the way a farmer bales hay produces a denser product that takes up less space to transport. In many cases, wire in this form may be more desirable to a potential buyer, as shipping costs may be lower. Other buyers prefer to buy tire wire loose so that they can easily see the level of contamination in the product.