Recycled tires can be used as fuel for industries, as cushioning material in playgrounds, as an everyday cover for landfills, and even for clothing and accessories. Scientists are also looking for ways to recover oil and carbon black from discarded tires.
Many of us have seen news footage of a major fire involving piles of discarded tires. These fires can rage for days, weeks, or even months if conditions are right, leaving soil and air pollution in their wake. These huge fields of discarded tires could soon become a relic of a wasteful past if new uses for recycled tires become more popular. Recycled tires contain enough fuel to power ovens and potentially enough recoverable oil to ease consumer demand. There are numerous other uses for old tires, from clothing to child safety to environmental protection.
One of the most common uses of recycled tires is as an alternative fuel source for some industries. Concrete manufacturers, for example, must use kilns to dry their products before shipping. These massive kilns are large enough to house whole tires in their kilns.
Other industries, such as steel and glass manufacturing, use shredded tires to augment their usual sources of coal or natural gas. The tires have to be shredded in order to pass through the feed grates of the ovens. One drawback is the presence of steel belts in many tires, which can build up over time and block the feed chutes.
To meet stringent environmental guidelines, many landfills must provide secure cover for daily deliveries. Instead of using a layer of backfill, some landfill operations now use a layer of shredded recycled tires as an everyday cover. Instead of stacking whole discarded tires into a pile of hazardous tires, landfill operators can get tire fragments from a local recycling center or invest in their own tire shredding machinery.
Old tires are also used as cushioning material in playgrounds and other public areas frequented by children. Sometimes, shredded tires are spread over the area as a mulch, which can cushion a child’s fall or reduce the impact of playground equipment. Recently, recycled rubber from old tires has been combined with other binders and foam to produce a solid safety mat for playgrounds and schoolyards.
Even some clothing manufacturers have discovered the benefits of using recycled tyres. The material made from them is now used to form the rubber sole of some trainers and work boots. The discarded tires could one day be made into other rubber-based clothing and accessories, such as raincoats, boots, umbrellas and hats.
A recent use of recycled tires could become a trend in larger cities. Traditional concrete sidewalks can now be replaced with similarly sized panels constructed from recycled tires and other materials. Proponents of these new sidewalk panels say they are more resistant to damage from tree roots and provide more stability for pedestrians. While the current cost per panel is higher than traditional concrete forms, the new rubberized panels are expected to require much less maintenance over their lifetime.
Since recycled tires contain oil and carbon black, two very useful substances, scientists are still looking for ways to recover these materials from discarded tyres. If these researchers are successful in their quest, the huge piles of scrap tires we see today will eventually become nothing more than a memory. They can supply enough reclaimed oil to make them worth salvaging, rather than just discarding.
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