Thursday, 4 July 2013 - 07:44
Tire Recycling
The Netherlands, the University of Groningen, and Thai scientist Sitisaiyidah Saiwari of the University of Twente are collaborating and working on an original way of recycling useless tires, Recycling International reported.
Ambiguous /Wikimedia Commons
The advancement allows the recovery of 40% of the discarded rubber. These are then used to create new tires as an alternative.
Saiwari and her research supervisor Dr. Wilma Dierkes said the latest recycling method facilitates a solution for the 800 million tires produced worldwide each year.
“What happened before with used tires is best described as cradle to grave, with tires typically recycled into low-value products such as floor mats, soccer fields or traffic bumpers,” Dr Dierkes said.
This recycling process, spearheaded by Saiwari, depends on “reversing the vulcanisation process.” This guarantees the high quality of the polymer, the molecule that gives the rubber's vital properties.
Dutch implementing body RecyBEM is the sponsor of the research project.