Recycling Archives - Page 53 of 65

It Seemed Like a Good Idea…

Divers off the coast of Florida have begun to dismantle a failed artificial reef project dating from the 1970s and containing as many as two million old tyres. A dive team will conduct a month long pilot project in which a number of salvage techniques will be trialled in order to gain an understanding of the skills and equipment required to remove the tyres. Once the clean up operation begins divers will work at dismantling the reef for several months a year over the next few years.

It all began with high hopes three decades ago – the idea was to alleviate the pressure on tyre landfills while simultaneously creating a new marine habitat. However it transpired that sea life do not especially care for tyres and few marine creatures could be persuaded into taking up residence. As a result the anticipated underwater wonderland instead remained a pile of two million submerged tyres.

7th June 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Second Life

Product News

According to the Environment Agency’s Tyre Watch Programme, every year in the UK around 450,000 tonnes of used tyres are produced and require some form of reuse or disposal. That is the equivalent of some 50 million car tyres, and with vehicle ownership expected to grow between 30 and 60 per cent over the next two decades the potential environmental threat posed by waste tyres will become more acute – unless a suitable solution is embraced.

At Swansea University engineers are seeking such a solution through their research into new methods of recycling tyres. This Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project, made possible by Department for Trade and Industry funding, is being conducted by the university’s School of Engineering Materials Research Centre under the overall supervision of Dr David Isaac, a Reader at the Centre. Dr Isaac has been working as part of a research group studying various aspects of polymers and composites.

31st May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Microwave Ready Tyres

Product News

New Jersey based Global Resource Corp. (GRC) claims to have developed a patent pending process that allows for the low cost acquisition of alternative petroleum products from various resources. According to the company, the process uses specific frequencies of microwave radiation to extract oils and alternative petroleum products from secondary raw materials. As part of its broader resource acquisition technology program GRC has revealed, through filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, that it intends to build a US$70 million tyre-recycling plant at the site of a former steel works in the state of Pennsylvania.

The facility will take approximately a year to build once official clearance has been granted for work to commence, and when operational will employ around 250 people and be able to process approximately 16,000 kilograms of tyres per hour, according to GRC head engineer Hawk Hogan. The plant will employ the company’s microwave process in a vacuum environment, using what they call ‘molecular vibrations’ to ‘crack’ the hydrocarbon chain and breaking tyres down into their base material components.

18th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Puncture Proof Industrial Tyres on Show

Product News

The company behind the British-made AirBoss tyre system has announced that it is exhibiting at the SED show on 22 May in Corby. The system comprises rubber segments, made in a high-quality environment, and individually bolted to a bespoke metal rim. The clever thing is the segments can be refitted in minutes, by the vehicle’s operator! The AirBoss system is typically fitted to vehicles such as skid steers, dumpers, loaders & access platforms.

Recently, AirBoss launched a new and improved, puncture-proof tyre system, now with silica, eliminating the migration of cracking and reportedly extending the life cycle.

16th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bandvulc Director Tires of Govt’s Recycled Arguments Against Retreads

Product News

Bandvulc director, Richard O’Connell, has received a government letter confirming his fears that retreaders will continue to be unfairly penalised for the foreseeable future. After a four year fight to be heard, Richard O’ Connell, director of Ivybridge based Bandvulc Tyres, thinks his struggle has finally reached a dead end, his argument having continually fallen on deaf ears.

O’Connell had thought that by confronting Ben Bradshaw MP at labour’s last annual conference, taking the opportunity to express his Industry’s frustration on stage and asking that the government allow it the same benefits as its new tyre counterparts, his efforts would at least lead to an open discussion. Instead, the Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare has written a letter O’Connell says, clearly demonstrates the Government is totally misinformed about the benefits of retreading.

15th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

WRAP Releases Tyre Recycling Standard Document

Product News

Two new documents released this month by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) are designed to set new standards in the tyre recycling industry. With over 46 million used tyres generated annually in the UK, the market for developing end uses for tyres is growing fast and these documents aim to set a quality standard for both the manufacturers and end-users of used tyre material. The two Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) documents were created in conjunction with the British Standards Institute (BSI). They provide guidance to the measures and procedures needed to produce recycled material such as shred, crumb, powder and tyre bales, to a consistent grade and quality.

According to WRAP, the PAS documents set out a voluntary specification and will give manufacturers the ability to publicise that their materials are of a high standard, meeting the voluntary guidance criteria. The PAS will provide their customers with the confidence that the materials they are receiving are produced responsibly, in line with an approved procedure. In an industry historically lacking guidelines, the documents promise to be a useful resource.

14th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kwik-Fit Fleet Offers Air Conditioning Recharging Service

Product News

Kwik-Fit Fleet has expanded its range of services to company car and van drivers with the introduction of air conditioning recharging. Available at all of Kwik-Fit’s 670 High Street centres nationwide, the while-you-wait recharge costs £44.95 including VAT on any make or model of vehicle. The fixed price is up to 70 per cent cheaper than equivalent prices at some franchise dealers, according to the company’s research.

Air conditioning recharging has been piloted at 100 Kwik-Fit centres in London and the South East of England since summer last year. Now demand from customers has resulted in Britain’s largest independent fast-fit company rolling out the service UK-wide.

Vehicle manufacturers typically recommend an air conditioning recharge every two years as up to 20 per cent of refrigerant can permeate through vehicle hoses even without a leak, which will impact on the in-car temperature.

11th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

NTDA Names 2007 TAFF Award Winners

Premium, Product News, UK News

On Wednesday 2, alongside the Brityrex International exhibition, the NTDA named the 2007 TAFF award winners. Michelin took best single company result of the night, winning two awards. But Bridgestone, Vellco, Apaseal and Group Tyre were also celebrating success in categories including production innovation, wholesaler of the year and tyre and aftermarket equipment supplier of the year.

The awards were presented during a glittering ceremony at Manchester’s Palace Hotel, which featured well-known stand-up comic Stan Boardman. The Tyre and Fast Fit (TAFF) Awards, which are sponsored by Renault UK, are the NTDA’s own awards which were established in 2005 to reward excellence from industry suppliers and, in that short time, they have firmly established themselves as the premier awards for the UK Tyre Industry.

The 2007 TAFF awards included categories for Tyre Manufacturer, National Wholesaler, Tyre and Aftermarket Equipment Supplier, Product Innovation and a special award for Industry Advertising Campaigns. A special category covering scrap tyre disposal, collecting and recycling is entitled the Environmental Award.

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9th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

South Africa May See Tyre Disposal Fees

Product News

(Akron/Tire Review) South Africans will likely have to pay a bit more for their tyres as the country is poised to enact a tyre disposal levy on all new tyre purchases.

As with similar taxes in North America, the South Africa levy will go toward the collection and disposal of scrap tyres.

Public comment on the proposed regulations were collected up until March 25, and policymakers reportedly have made minor changes to the original proposed legislation.

Reportedly the South Africa tyre industry is against the planned tax over fears the collected funds would be diverted to the state’s general fund and not to waste collection or recycling efforts.

8th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

EU Tyre Recycling Tests Outline “Best Available Technology”

Product News

Estimates put forward during the European Tyre Recycling Association (ETRA) Conference 2007 in Brussels suggest that at least 300 million tyres reach their end-of-life each year throughout the EU’s 27 member states, with similar amounts found in North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Taking all of these regions collectively it is likely that the equivalent of more than one billion passenger car tyres require scrapping each year, and in the past many of these were destined for landfill or otherwise illegally dumped.

With EU directives banning the stockpiling of tyres or their disposal in landfill alternative methods of processing end-of-life tyres have been sought, however ETRA have reported that only a third of these tyres are being recycled into recovered materials, the bulk of them instead burnt as a fuel source. The results of conducting pyrolysis on scrap tyres have not in the past achieved promising results, with the resultant carbon being high in ash content and therefore only suitable for low-grade uses.

8th May 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

South African Govt. “Not Interested” in Tyre Safety

Product News

According to a representative from South Africa’s SA Tyre Recycling Process Company, the nation’s Department of Transport and the South African Bureau of Standards are “not interested” in setting standards to ensure that all second-hand tyres sold are safe. This apparent lack of interest comes despite statistics showing approximately 25 per cent of all road accidents in South Africa are caused by sub-standard tyres.

Speaking at a waste management summit in Cape Town, Etienne Human from the SA Tyre Recycling Process Company made reference to the results a recent survey. These results indicated that 80 per cent of tyres were unfit for further service when removed from a vehicle. However instead of being scrapped many of these tyres were instead re-sold, often at the side of the road, and quickly resumed their working life on South African roads.

16th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Give Your Old Phone a New Home

Product News

Unipart has joined forces with automotive industry charity BEN to set up a recycling service for unwanted mobile phones. Collection points will be installed across Unipart’s sites and BEN will mail 25,000 pre-paid envelopes to its supporters encouraging them to join in.

For each phone received, Unipart will donate £3 to BEN, helping them carry out their work. Unipart Group Chief Executive, John Neill, said: “BEN is a charity close to our hearts at Unipart because of our automotive industry heritage.

12th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Man Loses Arm in Recycling Plant Accident

Product News

A worker at the Anaxiom tyre recycling facility in Scotland has lost him arm following a conveyor belt accident. Alan Gallagher, 27, had been attempting to remove pieces of rubber from the conveyor belt early on April 5 when his arm became jammed between the belt and a roller, causing the arm to be severed.

Ambulance crews took Mr. Gallagher and the severed arm first to Hairmyes Hosptial and then to Glasgow Royal Infirmary, but they were not able to reattach the limb. Mr Gallagher was discharged from hospital on April 10.

The Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation into the accident on April 5, instructing Anaxiom not to use the conveyor belt until their examination was completed. Anaxiom, upon the advice of police and the Health and Safety Executive, have declined from commenting on the incident at present.

12th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Racing Car Rolls on Potato Tyres

Product News

Researchers at the University of Warwick have developed a racing car that is perhaps as tasty as it is fast. The environmentally friendly vehicle, the brainchild of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), a research think tank and solution provider based at the university, has tyres made from potatoes and brake pads from cashew nut shells. The car also runs on bio fuels and bio lubricants.

The racer was originally designed with a top speed of 125mph, but following ‘tweaking’ by project manager Ben Wood it is now capable of speeds as high as 150mpg, provided there is a straight road and a tailwind available.

3rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Introduces ‘Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge’

Product News

Given the important role played by endurance racing in its competition strategy, Michelin has decided to launch the ‘Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge’. Based on the 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours and the six rounds of the 2007 Le Mans Series, the scheme will see Michelin reward those teams that make the best use of the fuel they consume, expressed as an Energy Performance Index (EPI) calculated after each event.

Prizes will be awarded to the best-performing teams in all four categories (LM P1, LM P2, GT1, GT2). The Energy Performance Index is based on the following parameters:

29th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

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