Magnum SRI Recycled Compound Tyre Test Yield Successful Results

According to rubber recycler Magnum D’Or Resources and Sekhar Research Innovations, September has been a truly historic month. Magnum SRI has for some time performed laboratory trials to convert its activated compound into a high recycled content “custom compound” that is tailored for blending with various high end applications, and on September 19 Magnum SRI announced it has now successfully produced the custom compound on a commercial production scale using a Banbury mixer at the Malaysian Rubber Research Institute facility in Sungai Buloh. This effectively replicates, explained Magnum, the production parameters and process flow it indents to implement in its Magog, Canada facility and subsequently its plant in Colorado.

The Magnum SRI custom compound was then shipped out to a manufacturer’s tyre production unit where it was blended with its virgin light truck tyre compound in several batches both in its Banbury intermix and also post chemical addition on sheeting mill. Magnum SRI reports it went to great lengths throughout the exercise to ensure that the handling of its compound and the resultant composite mix was processed in an identical fashion to normal production conditions for OEM light commercial vehicle tyres at the site.

The results, says Magnum SRI, were positive. The composite compound was extruded and applied to the tyre assembly process and successfully moulded and vulcanised into a full production run of light truck tyres. Along with samples taken from each step of the compounding and manufacturing process the tyres underwent stringent in-house tests. Magnum SRI reports the tyres passed with “flying colours”, matching the OEM tyres’ technical and performance parameters. Samples of the composite compound along with the virgin material were tested again in Magnum’s labs and independently at the Malaysian Rubber Research Institute physical testing labs. This testing, Magnum adds, reaffirmed there was no appreciable difference in tensile and abrasion resistance.

Referring to the recent tests, SRI CEO Gopi Sekhar stated: “This success has been achieved by thinking out of the box coupled with a great deal of hard work, diligence and a great deal of support from our partnership with Magnum. The support and synergy from our joint venture with Magnum has been invaluable and is helping propel our development efforts towards tangible results geared towards the optimisation of the operations in Magog and Colorado.” He added that “this is a truly significant and historic development, as for the first time there is a technology that is going to consume recycled material in value added applications and in volumes that will really make a difference to the annual accumulation of over two billion tyres.”

Magnum SRI says it may soon be able to supply raw material compounds in industrial volumes. “What’s very positive for Magnum and its Magog and Colorado facilities is that the production output in the form of custom compounds would be easily welcomed by manufacturers for value added applications such as retread and high specification automotive components,” Sekhar added. “I have no doubt that once our compounds are readily available to tyre manufacturers, an explosive growth will follow.”

Volume production will initially commence at Magnum’s 98,000 square foot Magog facility in Canada’s Quebec province. Production is also expected to subsequently take place at Magnum’s new Colorado, US plant, located at the site of one of the world’s largest tyre landfills. This site was purchased from bankrupt Tire Recycling Inc. in August 2009 for US$2.06 million. Magnum comments that the Colorado facility is extremely well situated to accept and supply all the company’s current and future facility operations.