"Surface Repolymerisation is the breakthrough that the waste tyre industry has always sought"
Robin Pegden, Managing Director of Envirogen Technologies Ltd
Banbury, Oxon., UK: New WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) funded research has demonstrated that crumb rubber from waste tyres can be successfully incorporated into retread compounds for road truck and earthmover tyres at much higher inclusion rates than was previously thought possible.
The research showed that at a crumb rubber component of up to 40%, the tyres “suffered no reduction in durability or performance when compared to the industry standard”.
The study, 'Using waste tyre rubber in retreads at high inclusion rates', trialled both truck tyres that were fitted to dual-drive axle tipper lorries and earthmover tyres, with a diameter of 1.6 metres, that were fitted to dump trucks.
In fact in some cases the new compounds showed an improvement in performance when compared to the control materials and they cured 20% quicker and proved more durable. The report says that the reduction in cure time and consequent savings in energy, offer future significant savings in the tyre process using re-polymerised rubber.
The report on Surface Repolymerisation can be found on the WRAP web site
The results depend on which axle the tyres are placed and the report should be consulted for detailed information - graphs are also provided in the report to compare the retreaded tyres to control tyres produced from virgin rubber.
WRAP says that re-treading is considered to be one of the more preferable and effective methods of re-using worn tyres. The process in effect doubles the life of a tyre and hence reduces the numbers of new tyres needed.
The process has the dual effect of minimising waste through the extended tyre life and also provides an outlet for tyre crumb produced through tyre recycling.
WRAP hopes that the findings will encourage growth of the tyre reprocessing market and increase the recycling potential of the 48 million waste tyres generated in the UK each year.
The report details how the process of surface polymerisation enables high rates of rubber from waste tyres to be successfully included in retread compounds - a process which had not been thought possible until now.
Comments
Steve Waite, Project Manager for Tyres at WRAP, said:
“The UK produces around 130,000 waste tyres every day so testing and developing new outlets for tyre-derived rubber material is a priority for the industry. This study provides reassurance for users that high percentages of rubber crumb can successfully be incorporated into retread compounds for truck and earthmover tyres without compromising the tyres’ performance. It is especially encouraging that some of the new compounds produced during this trial have been shown to offer benefits over the original compound. ”
Robin Pegden, Managing Director of Envirogen Technologies Ltd, the company involved with the re-polymerisation technology used in the trial, said:
“A green sustainable solution now exists for the tyre industry; Surface Repolymerisation is the breakthrough that the waste tyre industry has always sought. This complete new approach now offers tyre companies a new ‘true green’ material that has both economic and environmental benefits in its future use.”
Mark Stevenson, Business Manager of Rubber Recovery Ltd and the author of the report, added:
“The results of this study overshadow those of all other similar trials to date. It is hoped this technology will now help the rubber and tyre manufacturing industry realise the potential for recycled rubber in their products.”
Further information
The report on the trial and research findings is available free from the WRAP website and can be downloaded at www.wrap.org.uk/tyres. Alternatively call the WRAP construction team on 0808 100 2040 to order a hard copy.
WRAP works in partnership to encourage and enable businesses and consumers to be more efficient in their use of materials and recycle more things more often. This helps to minimise landfill, reduce carbon emissions and improve our environment.
Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by Government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Working in seven key areas (Construction, Retail, Manufacturing, Organics, Business Growth, Behavioural Change, and Local Authority Support), WRAP’s work focuses on market development and support to drive forward recycling and materials resource efficiency within these sectors, as well as wider communications and awareness activities including the multi-media national Recycle Now campaign for England.
More information on all of WRAP's programmes can be found on http://www.wrap.org.uk