The question “Can tires be recycled?” is asked the most frequently. The short answer is yes; annually, tires are the most often recycled product in the United States. Millions of automobile tires are usually recycled into ground rubber, asphalt additives, and even fuel when they are too worn out, damaged, or otherwise unusable. Because high-quality tires are renowned for their durability and longevity, recycling frequently takes the form of burning or grinding. Let’s understand the recycling process in detail in this guide.
Understanding Worn Tires
The number of people riding bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, and vehicles is increasing, and with it comes the waste and trash tire problems. Tires are designed to be used just once; they usually lose their tread after three to four years. Many of them burn or wind up in landfills, where they leak harmful chemicals into the earth or into the atmosphere. The most economical and environmentally responsible method to get rid of old, worn-out tires is through tire recycling. The automobile industry and environmental organizations are increasingly focusing on expanding tire waste management programs and streamlining recycling procedures.
What is Tire Recycling?
Various techniques are being used to repurpose these worn tires in order to make better use of the discarded tires. Among them is recycling. The practice of recycling worn tires that are no longer suitable for use on cars because of wear and tear or irreversible damage is referred to as tire recycling, often called rubber recycling. We prefer recycling because it avoids landfill-related problems such as global warming, contamination of the ecosystem, and harm to marine life. But what is the waste tire recycling process? Let’s discuss it in detail in the next section.
How Are Tires Recycled? Step-by-Step Process of Tire Recycling
Step 1: Collection of Waste Tires
Tire recycling begins with gathering used tires from vehicle repair shops, tire dealers, scrap yards, and recycling centers. This is an important initial stage in the process. At this point, tire recycling companies and private citizens gather tires. After being gathered, these tires are taken to recycling centers to be processed further.
Step 2: Tire Processing (Shredding)
When the used tires get to the recycling center, they go through a tire processing step that involves shredding them into smaller pieces. The tires are broken down into manageable fragments using specialized shredding machines. This is an attempt to make the tire smaller so that it is manageable. Upon completion of this phase, extract raw materials suitable for fuel.
Step 3: Steel Liberation
During this phase, which is also known as steel liberation, any steel belts or wires that are filed in the tires are removed. To separate the steel parts from the torn rubber material, magnets are frequently used. These steel wires can then be brought to roll mills to be utilized in the production of new wheels. Rubber mulch, which is the remaining rubber, is subsequently utilized as field turf on playgrounds.
Step 4: Screening Stage
The shredded tire material passes through a screening stage to get rid of any pollutants or impurities left after the steel liberation process. In simple terms, you will sort vast quantities of wire-free rubbers by size after screening them. Along with lowering the sizes of big rubbers and undesired remaining bits, it also entails getting rid of any undesirable materials. In order to guarantee that only quality rubber material is kept for additional processing, screening equipment is used to separate the rubber particles according to size and consistency.
Step 5: Cleaning Stage
Following screening and purification, the rubber material moves on to the cleaning phase, when any remaining dirt, debris, or foreign materials are removed. The recycled rubber is cleaned using a variety of methods, including air aspiration and washing, to guarantee that it is free of impurities and fulfills quality requirements.
Step 6: Packaging and Transporting Stage
Packing and shipping the recovered rubber material to end customers or manufacturing facilities is the last step in the tire recycling process. After being cleaned and processed, the rubber is packed into handy bales or containers and shipped to markets where it will be used for a variety of purposes, including manufacturing, landscaping, and road building. Some factories that come to mind are those that make playground turf and rubber shoes.
