News and feature articles relating to recycling, including collection, of end of life tyres.
More than 50 firefighters battled flames of as much as 65 feet tall when fire broke out the Anaxiom tyre recycling plant on 4th and 5th August. According to The Scotsman, it took three hours to bring the fire at the Anaxiom plant under control, but no lasting environmental damage is expected.
The US manufacturer of recycling equipment Granutech-Saturn Systems and its Cheshire based dealer/distributor BTR Group are working together to provide equipment and design expertise to tyre processors throughout the UK. Their latest sales and installations include:
Wheeldon Brothers
With the goal of making steel free granules smaller than 15mm from whole truck and car tyres, Bury’s Wheeldon Brothers Waste commissioned a two-stage process Granutech-Saturn tyre granulation system. The system features a Saturn Model 60-44BGHT tyre shredder with 300hp hydraulic drive system and the Granutech Model 80 Grizzly, a stage-two grinder that effectively separates steel from the tyre rubber while keeping operating costs at a minimum. Plans are currently in the works to expand the processing side of the system to reduce material to as small as 0.5mm.
A new award, to be known as the ‘TRA Responsible Retailer of the Year’, is to be presented for the very first time at the Tyre Recovery Association’s 2007 Rubber Industry Dinner on 5th October. The award will honour tyre retailers who have demonstrated consistent concern for the responsible recycling of end of life tyres.
Nominations for the award will be forwarded by TRA members to a selection panel set up by the Association. The final selection criteria will include matters such as overall appearance of the premises, availability of new tyres and retreads (RMA Green Dealer Programme) as well as a clear commitment to regulatory compliance.
Commenting on this new TRA initiative, TRA Secretary Peter Taylor said it was now clearly necessary to ‘raise the game’ on the responsible collection and handling of used tyres and to do so by publicly congratulating those tyre retailers who subscribed to tyre recycling best practice in its broadest sense.
TyreGenics’ new £4 million recycling facility in Baglan, South Wales is now open and operational. The facility, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze shreds of tyres to below –80C before pulverising them into tiny crumbs, is the first facility of its type in northern Europe. The new plant is said to have a capacity of 80 tonnes per day and will create more than 30 jobs now that it is open. The ground breaking collaboration by majority shareholder Credential Environmental and BOC, Field Turf and RTI was backed by £1.4 million of European development funding. Crucially, like the announcement that its cement works plans are going ahead, the Welsh TyreGenics plant opening provides a new and disposal route for reprocessed ELTs.
The TyreGenics process uses liquid nitrogen to freeze shreds of tyre to below -80˚C, at which point they become brittle, then mechanical ‘hammers’ to smash the rubber into ‘crumb’. The product has a number of uses, including the production of artificial sports pitches, insulation products and rubber flooring. And it is here that the project can be distinguished from previous efforts to use cryogenic technology. This North American connection with Canadian companies Field Turf and Cryogenic systems maker, RTI, provides both the means to produce the technology and a secure sales route. According to the company, 70 per cent of production for the next three years has already been bought by Field Turf.
The UK now diverts 93 per cent of tyre arisings from landfill and leads the way in terms of tyre recycling. However, while most people are pleased to hear that the UK’s free-market approach to tyre recovery and recycling continues to prosper, valid questions about the increased prevalence of secondary fly-tipping and rising numbers of part worn tyres on the market were also raised.
According to the ETRMA, 3.2 million tonnes of used tyres were generated in Europe during 2006, including 486,000 tonnes in the UK and 585,000 tonnes in Germany – the continents two leading tyre markets. The figures, reported by the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) cover end of life tyre (ELT) destinations during 2006. Across Europe 87 per cent of used tyres (up three points) are now recovered. The key European disposal route is energy recovery, a method favoured by the many markets that operate producer responsibility programmes.
And while the UK’s 93 per cent recovery rate for tyres may not be as high as these other nations, the split is much more varied and the he UK surpasses all other European countries – including France and Germany – in terms of recycling. In 2006 254,000 tonnes of tyres ended up in material recovery, while a further 57,000 tones were retreaded. Therefore the UK recycling an impressive 311,000 tonnes of used tyres in 2006.This compares with just 198,000 tonnes in Germany and 239,000 in France. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Norway, all claimed 100 per cent recovery rates.
The trial use of tyre chips as an alternative fuel in the high temperature cement kiln at Tunstead Quarry, near Peak Dale, Buxton, has been “a resounding success,” according to Credential Environmental. The kiln operator, Tarmac Buxton Lime and Cement, says the equivalent of 2 million old tyres have now been used and the trial has demonstrated that using tyre chips gives significant environmental benefits, including a reduction in the use of fossil fuels and a 15 per cent cut in emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx).
All of the ‘Critical Success Factors’, set by the Environment Agency for the trial, have reportedly been met. “It’s good news for the local environment and also for wider society as fossil fuel consumption has been reduced while a beneficial use has also been found for a waste which was previously disposed of in landfills”, says Hasan Bobat, Fuels Development Manager.
Steve Patterson, director of Credential Environmental, who provided the tyres, said: “This promises to be an exciting breakthrough for the recycling of used tyres and we’re delighted to be collaborating with Tarmac on the trials.”
(Rubber Asia) The China Rubber Industry Association (CRIA) acts as an advocate for more than 800 companies operating in the fast growing Chinese market. Recently the organisation’s chairman, Ju Hongzhen, spoke about the current state of China’s rubber industry and what contribution the CRIA hopes to make towards guaranteeing its long-term future.
What is your assessment of the rubber industry’s performance during 2006?
The rubber industry registered healthy and orderly growth in 2006. Rubber production received a boost and large companies as well as large groups emerged as unmistakable winners out of the stiff market competition.
In recent years rubber consumption in China has been on the rise annually. In 2006, it touched 4.5 million tonnes. Natural rubber consumption was 2.1 million tonnes and synthetic rubber 2.4 million tonnes. As for the rubber industry in terms of tyres, in 2006 Chinese radial tyre output grew by 60 per cent, registering a 5 per cent increase over the previous year. Passenger radials and light truck radials produced by foreign manufacturers continued to lead the market, with their market share reaching 70 per cent. Chinese tyre manufacturers are also gradually expanding their market share through the launching new products.
Nearly a third of members responding to the recent NTDA fly tipping survey reported that tyres had been dumped on their premises in the past six months. Of those nearly half involved 20 tyres or more. The total cost of disposal is thought to be around £2 million. In February, Kwik-Fit’s David White spoke of how the retailer spent £250,000 a year secondary tipping disposal costs itself.
TyreGenics’ new £4 million recycling facility in Wales opens today. The facility, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze shreds of tyres to below –80C before pulverising them into tiny crumbs, is the first facility of its type in northern Europe.
The new plant is said to have a capacity of 80 tonnes per day and will employ approximately 30 people. Tyres & Accessories has travelled to Baglan, near Port Talbot, for the facility’s opening ceremony, and will provide in-depth coverage of the occasion both online and in our August magazine.
Warrington-based European Metal Recycling is trialling a new tyre contract with ATS Euromaster, based on the company’s ability to provide extensive management information to help reduce expenditure on tyres. The trial involves approximately 70 vehicles and 50 trailers operating from a metal recycling facility in Salford, and marks the first step in moving towards a company-wide tyre policy for its 300-strong commercial vehicle fleet.
Simon Wood, Divisional Director at European Metal Recycling, says: “Our fleet is very hard on tyres as we’re operating in an environment where it is all too easy to run over a piece of scrap metal, causing damage.”
A significant environmental focus contributed to Kwik-Fit Fleet winning a new contract to supply a range of fast-fit services to Grosvenor Contracts Leasing. The new preferred supplier agreement builds on a business partnership between the two organisations stretching back almost 25 years and will run until December 31, 2008. Kettering-based Grosvenor Contracts Leasing is the UK’s largest independent contract hire and fleet management provider with 8,500 cars and light commercials on its books. The company has recently achieved ISO14001 accreditation – the international environmental management standard.
Three companies have become the recipients of grants from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) as part of their initiative to help businesses increase their capacity to reprocess old tyres. The initiative was open to any business involved in the reprocessing of tyre waste that would otherwise have ended up as landfill.
One of the recipients, Bristol Tyre, is a newcomer to the tyre processing industry and WRAP has provided support by funding a shredding machine and related equipment. A second recipient, McGrath, will use the WRAP funds to purchase tyre shredding and granulating equipment along with a loading shovel and grab machine. The third company, Great Yarmouth’s Aquablast, has developed bespoke machinery to remove steel from tyre rubber via high pressure water blasting. The WRAP funding has enabled Aquablast to create a machine capable of handling earthmover tyres.
Peter Gaster of Kings Road Tyres and the National Chairman of the NTDA has been appointed as the new vice chairman of the Tyre Industry Federation Board. Gaster takes over from Steve Tidmarsh of Kumho Tyres who represents the Imported Tyre Manufacturers Association (ITMA) on the board and who stood down at the meeting. Jim Rickard of Michelin, the Inaugural Chairman of the TIF continues as Chairman.
Commented NTDA Director Richard Edy: “We are delighted that NTDA has been given the opportunity to take on this key role in the TIF which we see playing a pivotal role in promoting the interests of the multi billion pound UK Tyre Industry.”
NTDA became members of the TIF last year and have four members on the board, Peter Gaster, John Tarbox of Pan Autos and the Immediate Past Chairman of the NTDA and Richard Edy.
(Akron/Tire Review) As expected, TIA will hold a second Commercial Tire, Retread & Recycling Conference (CTRRC). The 2008 event, again held in conjunction with the larger and well-attended Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition, will take place in Orlando on Feb. 5-7.
While rubber is frequently used as a reinforcing material in buildings designed to withstand earthquake damage, the rubber used for such purposes is generally virgin rubber – an increasingly expensive commodity. However two Turkish students have built a working model of an earthquake resistant wall using old truck tyres, and the results of their tests are attracting interest from experts in this area of construction design and those looking at practical and environmentally friendly tyre recycling solutions.
Mehmet Gezici and Alper Kurt, both students at Aydın Özel Yesevi College have been working on earthquake related issues since the beginning of the 2006-2007 academic year, and their recent efforts have been concentrated upon building a wall which offered the flexibility needed for earthquake resistance. They found that worn out truck tyres could be incorporated into the construction of new buildings to make a more flexible structure, and the outer walls of existing buildings can also be given extra reinforcement through their use.
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