17-19 February 2008 RecShow 08 Jordan 1 Tyre Recycling in the European Union Dr. Valerie L. Shulman Secretary General, ETRA.

17-19 February 2008 RecShow 08 Jordan 1

Tyre Recycling in the European Union

Dr. Valerie L. Shulman

Secretary General, ETRA


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ETRA : The European Tyre Recycling Association

• Founded in 1994, with 19 members in 5 EU States

• ETRA has ±250 members in 43 countries, including each EU State;

• The mission : to develop tyre recycling as an environmentally and commercially sustainable European industry

• Objectives: to develop and advance policies that support the industry;

to expand and develop markets;

to development and implement professional standards;

to prepare and promote guidelines for materials, products, applications;

to provide communication links

• Membership is open to the public and private sectors




Post-consumer tyres

~ 3,250,000 tonnes of post-consumer tyres are permanently removed each year from cars and trucks in the 27 EU States - and defined as waste

It is estimated that an additional ~60,000 to 70,000 tonnes of post-consumer tyres are permanently removed each year from agricultural and other off-road vehicles in the 27 EU States - but not defined as waste




Compared with other waste streams




The raw materials

Rubber compounds - throughout the tyre : treads, sidewalls, etc.

Plies and belts : layers of brass coated steel with rubber

Bead wire : Cords of high tensile steel that give form to the tyre

Casing : Made of metal, rayon, nylon. Polyester cords




Composition by weight of tyres

Material Car/utility% Truck/lorry%

Rubber/elastomersa ±48 ±45

Carbon black or silicab ±22 ±22

Metal ±15 ±25

Textile ±5 -

Zinc oxide ±1 ±2

Sulphur ±1 ±1

Additives ±8 ±5A Truck tyres contain proportionately more natural rubber in comparison to synthetic rubber than do car tyresb Different varieties of carbon black are used for different purposes and may appear in other categories of material

The rubber compounds, metals and textiles are recovered through material recycling




Recycling makes sense

• It requires 121,000BTUs to produce 1 kg of new rubber materials

• It requires only 2,200BTUs to produce 1 kg of clean granulate or powder.

Put another way, the Co2 equivalent for 1kg of rubber is :

4,351 for Natural rubber

3,409 for SBR

0,097 for recycled rubber




Considering energy use

The production of 1 tonne of rubber requires the following :

– Natural rubber requires the same amount of energy as driving from Brussels to Singapore (about 10,560km)

– Synthetic rubber (SBR) requires the equivalent of driving from Rome to Sidney Australia (15,000km)

– Recycled rubber is a much shorter trip - it uses the equivalent of a 400 km ride from Paris (France) to Geneva (Switzerland)




Means of tyre valorisation

Re-use and or export Retreading Material recycling including :

Civil engineering and construction applications Environmental rehabilitation projects Consumer and industrial products

Energy recovery for : Co-incineration Cement kilns

Each form of valorisation requires a consistent flow of input




0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Landfill 62% 56% 49% 40% 39% 35% 26.4% 23.8% 18.0%

Reuse/export 6% 8% 8% 11% 10% 10% 11.4% 8.0% 7.0%

Retreading 13% 12% 12% 11% 11% 11% 12.6% 12.0% 10.5%

Recycling 5% 6% 11% 18% 19% 21% 25.0% 27.1% 31.8%

Energy 14% 18% 20% 20% 21% 23% 24.4% 27.1% 34.5%

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2003 2004-5 2005-6




The attainment level : 2005-6

In 2005-6, ±2 669 219 tonnes of post-consumer tyres were treated in anenvironmentally sound manner within the 25 States of the EU.

± 222 975 tonnes : export (± 7%)

± 333 250 tonnes : retreading (± 10,5%)

±1 012 920 tonnes : material recycling (± 31,8%)

±1 100 075 tonnes : energy recovery (±34,5%)

Together, ±83,8% of post-consumer tyres were diverted from landfills.




Elements of the recycling process

• Collecting (manual)• Sorting• Pre-treating

• Debeading• Cutting

• Processing (mechanical)• Shredding• Granulating

» Sieving » Packaging» Storing» Delivering




The start of tyre recycling : Collecting• Knowing where the tyres are

– At small individual sites :• Garages, tyre shops, small retailers, vehicle sales

– At large communal depots• Tyre distributors• Fleet managers• Municipal depots• Vehicle dismantlers

• Knowing how to move the tyres




Basic collection information

Category

• Off road/agricultural tyres

• Truck tyres

• Bus tyres

• Utility tyres

• Passenger car tyres

• Winter tyres

Approx. Wt./ tyre

170 kg

56 kg

54 kg

8 kg

7 kg

8kg

Tyres p/tonne

5.88

17.86

18.52

125

142.60

125




EU Collection systems Producer responsibility

Free market system

In transition

Adaptation

Norway

Sweden Finland

Den

mar

k

Lithuania

Latvia

Estonia

Hungary

SlovakiaCzech Republic

Poland

France

BelgiumHolland

Germany

Ireland

UK

Spain

Italy

Greece

Austria

Bulgaria

Romania

Cyprus

Portu

gal

Malta

Lux

Slovenia




Formula for tyre Collection

• To move 1 tonne of tyres costs approximately 2€ per km

• Passenger car tyres : 6 - 12 tonnes per delivery 15 tonnes in a walking floor truck

• Truck tyres : approximately 14 - 15 tonnes per delivery 17 - 18 tonnes in a walking floor truck

• Off-road tyres : 15 tonnes per delivery




Stacked tyres

Whole tyres are often stacked in a basketweave to save space - particularly when the tyres will be retreaded

Tyres for recycling are often transported in bulk - as whole, or as tyre cuts




The next steps

1. Sorting : Manual process

According to category : truck, passenger car, other

Road-worthy : undamaged with minimum 1.66mm tread

Retreadable : repairable casing in good condition

Non-retreadable : raw material for recycling

Many of these tyres are exported to other countries that have less restrictive road-use standards




2. Pre-treatment : Manual processes

Removal of debris

Rinsing - remove dirt, etc.

Cutting in halves/quarters

Debeading

Preparation for recycling




Not all tyres are ready for treatment




Truck tyre debeading

• Truck tyres are debeaded

• The steel is removed

• A 60 second spurt at 150 kW/h/t is used

• Clean tyre bead steel can substitute virgin material - dependent upon use




Tyre processing

• Shredding

• Chipping

• Granulating

• Fine granulating

• Powders

• Material upgrading




Environmental impacts : per tonne

Material Feedstock Energy use Emission limits/unit of operationDebeading Truck tyres 150 kWh/t

60 sec spurt+0,4 mg/m

3 dust

+95 dB (A) noiseShred, chips Dependent upon use : Whole

and/or cut car, utility, truckand other tyres

35-50 kWh/t +0,2 mg/m3 dust

+95 dB (A) noiseSOx 0 NOx 0Water - trace

Size reductionGranulate &powder

Dependent upon product:whole, cuts, shred, chips,treads, sidewalls, technicalrubber

120 kWh/t 0,2 mg/m3 dust G; 0,4 mg/m

3 dust P

+85 dB (A) noise (newer systems encased)+90 dB (A) noise (encased) some older, dualprocess systemsSox0 NOx 0Water – below allowable levels

Fine powder<600 µm

Dependent upon product:granulate as producedabove

110-150 KW/t1.3 tN2/tgranulate

+0,2 kg/h dust+85 dB noise (encased system)Sox 0 NOx 0Water – below allowable levels

Devulcanisation(non-chemical)

Dependent upon product:Shredded/granulated tyres,As produced above

150 – 200 kWh/t +0,2 mg/m3 dust

+90 dB noiseSOx 0 NOx 0Water – below allowable levels

Pyrolysis Dependent upon product :As above

370 kWh/t Local legal limits for air emissions 30– 45 dBWater – below allowable levels




Shred and chips

• Shredders can be mobile or fixed

Shred can vary in size from ±75mm to 300mm in any dimension.

Smaller shred, of <±100mm, can be used loose or compacted, in applications with or without binders

Chips, from ±15 - ±75mm, can be used in applications with or without binders




Granulation plant in operation




Cost-use-triangle The Post-consumer tyre usage hierarchy Capital investment Principal Consumers Examples of use

Whole < 100,000€ 100% public sector artificial reefs, erosion control Cut noise barriers, stabilisation

Shred and chips < 1,000,000€ ±80% public sector lightweight fill for construction,

±20% private sector roads, insulation, landfill construction

> 1,000,000€ ±80% private sector consumer/industrial applications, Granulate and powders ±20% public sector products, sports surfaces, some public

civil engineering applications

Multi-treatment materials <10,000,000€ ±95% private sector consumer/industrial products, ±5% public sector coatings, some road construction

Preliminary specifications of many of these applications and products are provided in the CEN Workshop Agreement on Post-consumer tyres.




The range of materials : outputs

Since 1995, the range of post-consumer tyre materials produced and used has expanded - principally at the extremes

Larger materials, i.e., whole treated and untreated tyres, bales, shred, chips are increasingly selected by civil engineers

Smaller materials, i.e., granulate, powders, fine powders and specialised products (reclaim, devulcanisates, thermoplastic elastomers, etc.) are being selected by manufacturers of consumer and technical products

Recycling residues are increasingly used for specific innovative applications




Post-consumer tyre materials

Granulate54%

Shred/chips

15%

Whole tyres12% Misc.

2%

Specialty7%

Powders10%

The changing balance of material production and use




Whole tyres can be recycled without physical or chemical transformation

Principal methods of treatment include cutting into halves or quarters,

untreated or, treated by removing the beads or sidewalls, or by compression

Whole tyres




Characteristics of whole tyres

Characteristics

• Lightweight,

• Low compacted density,

• High void ratio,

• Good compressibility,

• Water permeability,

• Thermal insulation

• Non-biodegradable




Slope stabilisation

Erosion control

Construction bale

Coastal and fluvial protection

Examples of whole tyre uses




Shred and Chips

Shred and chips are the result of mechanical processes by which tyres are fragmented into irregular pieces

Shred can vary in size from ±75mm to 300mm in any dimension.

Smaller shred, of <±100mm, can be used loose or compacted, in applications with or without binders

Chips, from ±15 - ±75mm, can be used in applications with or without binders




Characteristics of shred and chips

Characteristics

• Lightweight,

• Low compacted density,

• High void ratio,

• Good compressibility,

• Water permeability 10-1 to 10-3 m/s

• Thermal insulation

• Low earth pressure




Loose unbound chips :

Compacted unbound chips

Bound chips

Compacted shred

Landfill cell

(geotextile)

Loose shred

Building insulation

Examples of shred and chips

Drainage systems




Granulate

Granulate is the result of processing rubber to reduce it in size into finely dispersed particles from ±1mm to ±10mm

There are two principal methods of production : ambient and cryogenic

Ambient size reduction is the most common, particularly for larger truck tyres.




Characteristics of granulate

Characteristics

Variations are based uponthe treatment technology

Ambient : irregular shape; some thermal degradation due to treatment; reduced cross-linking

Cryogenic : regular shape and particle size; smooth, glossy surface; no surface decomposition or thermal stress




Road furnitureRunning tracks

Sports stadia

Children’s play groundsIndoor or outdoor

tiles/pavers

Artificial turf

Examples of granulate uses



Sports arenas

Road furniture

Artificial turf

Insulation




Powders and fine powders

Fine granulate is the result of ambient or cryogenic process-ing to obtain finely dispersed particles of less than ±2mm.

Powders and fine powders are the result of processing and post-treating the material to obtain finely dispersed particles of ±500µm - <1.mm




Characteristics of powders

Characteristics

Powders are processed to modify one or more charac-teristic to restore some properties of virgin rubber.

Powders include reclaim, surface modified or re-activated material, elasto- meric alloys, among others.

They are most often used as ingredients in compounds that are mixed or blended with virgin material




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Examples of powders, fine powders









Rail tracksSteering wheels, head backs

Bellows

Caps, sealers

Road surfacing, spray seals, mixes

Bumpers, fenders



Spray coating




We’ll continue to work on it

Thank you for your attention




The 15th Annual European Conference

on tyre recycling

Towards a Recycling society :

the challenge 2 - 5 April 2008 The Crowne Plaza Europa,

Brussels

17-19 February 2008 RecShow 08 Jordan 1 Tyre Recycling in the European Union Dr. Valerie L. Shulman Secretary General, ETRA.

Documents

recycled rubber slide

tyres ptonne

material recycling slide

etra slide

waste slide

tonnes of postconsumer

natural rubber

tonne of rubber