Tyre recycling - new chances for sustainable products
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Report
Tyre recycling – new chances for sustainable products
Old tyres are a valuable resource, as rubber retains its positive material properties when recycled. This opens up many opportunities
for processing end-of-life tyres (ELT), not least because specialised engineering companies are enabling ever more efficient produc-
tion processes for tyre recycling and processing in the form of rubber granulate. As a result, the spectrum of sustainable products
made in this process is growing.
Quantities and processing tion, reuse and recycling. These measures fo- positive properties. Secondary products, pro-
of old tyres cus primarily on granting a second life to old duced from rubber granulate and binders,
tyres through retreading. If this is not possi- often also have a longer service life than the
The world produces huge quantities of old ble, the next step is to reclaim the composite primary product – the tyres. The following
tyres every year. These are referred to as end- materials of the tyre and use these secondary list details just some of the products that
of-life tyres (ELT). A December 2019 report materials to create sustainable products in a can be made from recycled rubber granulate
on global ELT management estimates that circular economy. The measures seek to avoid using cutting-edge production technology:
the EU and 13 other countries produced a incineration of old tyres, i.e. energy recovery,
total of 29.1 million t of ELT (fig. 1). The as much as possible to preserve resources. • Covers and wall systems for protecting
report also states that 26.1 million t of old In 2018, around 1.25 million t of ELT were people, animals and objects
tyres were reclaimed, with a high propor- incinerated. Recycling accounts for 62 % of • Noise insulation in walls
tion being processed for energy or materials. old tyres, or around 2 million t. This trend • Fall protection flooring, e.g. on play-
looks set to continue in future. grounds
The European Tyre & Rubber Manufactur- • Floor systems for animal stalls
ers Association (ETRMA) also publishes data • Impact sound insulation
on the utilisation of old tyres. It estimates Recycled rubber – a valuable • Anti-slip mats, e.g. for load securing
that in 2018, a total of 3.26 million t of secondary material
ELT were reclaimed in 32 countries (EU 28, In some countries, businesses that recycle
Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey). In What makes ELT so interesting for recy- ELT can benefit from state support.
the same year, EU member states approved cling is the high proportion of natural and
measures to strengthen the waste hierarchy synthetic rubber it contains. Rubber is per-
and place greater emphasis on waste reduc- fectly suited for recycling, as it retains its From scrap tyres to valuable
material
Fig. 1: Total reclaimed end-of-life tyres by country (in tonnes). The use of ELT collected in China is only partially
known (filled section).
The most valuable sources of tyre rubber
are so-called supersize tyres of the kind used
QChina
on mining vehicles. These often weigh se-
QIndia
veral tonnes and measure over 4 m in diam-
QUnited
eter. It is their sheer size that makes these
States
QEurope
tyres so suitable for recycling, alongside car
(ETRMA Scope)
QJapan
and truck tyres. But these huge tyres first
QIndonesia
need to be shredded before they can be re-
Total ELT recovered cycled. Italian company Salvadori produces
(including Civil Engineering QBrazil
hydraulic cutters to reduce the volume of
and Backfilling): QThailand
these tyres, along with equipment for re-
26.1 million tons QSouth Korea
moving the steel beading inside (fig. 2).
(metric) QMexico
QRussia
Both process steps make the subsequent re-
South
cycling of the supersize tyres much easier.
Africa
Argentina
Nigeria
In this purely mechanical process, the tyres
or parts thereof are cut in several steps until
the metal components inside can be mag-
Source: Global ELT Management – A global state of knowledge on regulation, management systems, impacts of recovery and technologies 2019 wbcsd netically separated. The rubber chips under-
go further fine granulation, while the textile
82 RFP 2/2021 – Volume 16
82-85__210120 29_Fecken-Kirfel_RFP 02-2021_DL_1904.indd 82 20.04.21 09:40
Fig. 2: Salvadori produces equipment for cutting supersize tyres before they are Fig. 3: Salvadori machines turn rubber granulate and binders into cylinders that
recycled. frequently weigh in at over 1 t.
Source: Salvadori
Source: Salvadori
Fig. 4: The standard dimensions for rubber cylinders are a length/width of Fig. 5: It is also possible to produce rubber granulate blocks that can weigh up
1,020 mm, 1,250 mm and 1,520 mm, with a diameter of 1,000 mm. to 1 t, depending on their size. The maximum dimensions are up to
Machines for producing even larger cylinders measuring up to 2,000 mm 1,200 mm in width, 2,000 mm in length and 300 mm in height.
in width/length and diameter are currently in development.
Source: Salvadori
Source: Salvadori
components are removed by a vacuum. At grain sizes). This results in a wide range of the required thickness (fig. 6). With its re-
the end of the process, all components are potential products. It is therefore possible to inforced design, it is capable of accurately
fully separated from each other. The result- influence the properties of the end product splitting even heavy materials with a density
ing rubber granulate can then be provided in (density, hardness, elasticity, colour, etc.), re- of up to 1,100 kg/m3 and a hardness of up
various qualities and grain sizes for further sulting in a broad field of applications. to 70 Shore A, depending on the material
processing, according to individual customer properties. In processing, these rubber gran-
requirements. ulate blocks usually measure up to 300 mm
From block and cylinder to a in height. Depending on the material, grain
sustainable product size, distribution and binder quality, it is pos-
From rubber granulate to the sible to split layers measuring 1.5 – 2 mm
semi-finished product Once a block or cylinder is produced, to up to 30 mm in thickness. The H 24 G is
how does it become a product with defined equipped with Windows-based control for
Rubber granulate can be pressed togeth- properties, quickly and efficiently, and in simple and intuitive operation. It features
er in further production steps with added the right thickness and/or with special pro- a vacuum system that can secure the block
binders to form large blocks or cylinders filing? Fecken-Kirfel specialises in tailored to the movable table if required. The cutting
(fig. 3-5). These can then be turned into machinery and systems for cutting and split- programme runs automatically according to
sustainable end products easily and effi- ting. Blocks can be turned into wall systems, the required formats and quantities, making
ciently, for example using the splitting ma- impact sound insulation, sound insulation it possible for the machine to be operated by
chines from Fecken-Kirfel. Before compres- mats, fall safety mats and anti-slip mats. just one person. Handling is made easier by
sion, it is possible to mix up to four differ- The automated H 24 G bandknife splitting the visualisation of cutting parameters, along
ent materials (e.g. SBR or EPDM in various machine is suited for splitting blocks into with the ability to incorporate an automatic
RFP 2/2021 – Volume 16 83
82-85__210120 29_Fecken-Kirfel_RFP 02-2021_DL_1904.indd 83 20.04.21 09:40
Report
Fig. 6: H 24 G horizontal splitting machine with take-away conveyor for Fig. 7: D 31 profile cutting machine with post-cut rolling systems.
removing the split layers.
Source: Fecken-Kirfel
Source: Fecken-Kirfel
Fig. 8: R 24 bandknife peeling machine – the cylinder is secured using a special Fig. 9: R 24 bandknife peeling machine – side trimming system and strip cutters
clamping device.
Source: Fecken-Kirfel
Source: Fecken-Kirfel
Fig. 10: R 24 bandknife peeling machine – the peeled material sheet is continu-
ously rolled. often used in ani- K 31/D 31 combined splitting and profile
mal stalls to provide cutting machine offers additional process-
warm, safe, dry and ing flexibility. It makes it possible to use
comfortable flooring the same machine for profile cutting sim-
for horses and cattle. ply by replacing the feed rollers with pro-
This is just one exam- file rollers.
ple of the potential
end product applica- Fecken-Kirfel’s R 24 bandknife peeling
tions that make the machine is ideal for producing sheets and
D 31 an interesting foils made from rubber granulate cylinders,
Source: Fecken-Kirfel
option as a pure pro- which are then used to make sport and lei-
file cutting machine. sure floorings, for example (fig. 8 – 10). It
Profile cutting is pos- can be used to peel materials with a density
sible for soft materi- of 500 – 1,100 kg/m3. A special variant, the
stacking system. Thanks to its flexibility, pro- als with a density of 500 – 800 kg/m³. The R 34, is currently under development and
ductivity and efficiency, the H 24 G is a highly profile depth is generally between 5 mm and will be able to process cylinders weighing
profitable machine for users. 10 mm. Automatically readjusting band- up to 7.5 t. It will therefore be particular-
knives ensure compliance with tight toler- ly well suited to achieving high production
A further processing option is offered by ances, along with a cast iron construction capacities. The upper working width limit is
the D 31 profile cutting machine, which ex- and specially formed, highly robust band- 2,000 mm. Depending on the material prop-
pands the potential usages of the rubber knife beams. The machine can also be com- erties, the potential thickness of the peeled
granulate (fig. 7). Profile cutting makes it bined with rolling systems. layers ranges from 1.5 – 20 mm. The length
possible to give the material certain addi- of the sheets can be selected in advance,
tional properties. Profiled mats made from The compact K 31 bandknife splitting ma- while there is also an optional side trimming
permeable rubber granulate, for example, chine represents a lower-cost alternative system. The R 24 and R 34 both feature a
enable fluid drainage. These are therefore for splitting rubber granulate blocks. The powerful grinding system for the blades. This
84 RFP 2/2021 – Volume 16
82-85__210120 29_Fecken-Kirfel_RFP 02-2021_DL_1904.indd 84 20.04.21 09:40
is important, as rubber granulate can still cycled old tyres is likely to rise further. The
contain abrasive particles. outstanding material properties of recy- Contact:
cled rubber makes it an interesting option
for many applications, particularly those Francis Pinckers
Opportunities in a growing that call for elasticity, heat retention and fpinckers@fecken-kirfel.de
market sound insulation. Businesses in the rubber Luc Schifflers
industry are already using rubber granu- lschifflers@fecken-kirfel.de
Technological developments along the en- late to produce fall safety panels, flooring,
tire processing chain for rubber granulate covers, wall systems and much more. Com- Fecken-Kirfel GmbH & Co. KG, Aachen,
products are unlocking new opportunities: panies like tyre recycling specialist Salva- Germany
dori and cutting expert Fecken-Kirfel are www.fecken-kirfel.de
• Greater product quality helping to further optimise these produc-
• Development of new products tion processes. This leads to greater value Andrea Pitto
• More cost-effective production creation that makes the sector even more apitto@trc4r.com
• Greater value creation interesting. Sustainable tyre recycling also
makes a decisive contribution to preserv- Salvadori S.r.l., Rovereto (TN), Italy
According to the specifications of the ing resources and protecting the environ- www.salvadori.com
EU waste hierarchy, the proportion of re- ment.
New reports and surveys on tire recycling products and applicable markets and a gene-
ral summary of the current and future trends
and innovations in the fast-paced recycling
industry and a list of major suppliers of tire
Weibold, an international consulting company specialized exclusively on tire recycling recycling equipment are provided.
and end-of-life tire pyrolysis has recently published an in-depth survey of the tech-
nology and business of tire pyrolysis. The consulting report “Opportunities in
Tire-Derived Molded Goods Manufactur-
ing” provides a detailed introduction to the
The consulting report titled “The Business economic considerations based on industry production of molded goods and a section
of Tire Pyrolysis” is geared to managers who successes. about understanding the molded goods pro-
are planning a tire pyrolysis operation, op- duction technology. This section will inform
erators of recycling plants contemplating ex- Two other recent reports give insight into about the production process and describe
pansion into new markets as well as investors the technology and business of tire recycling the different equipment types, required to
evaluating a tire pyrolysis investment oppor- and technologies, products and markets for manufacture molded goods from recycled
tunity. It contains a detailed introduction to molded goods made from recycled tire rub- rubber granules, and includes information
tire pyrolysis, taking into consideration the ber. The consulting report “The Business of about the required raw materials and dif-
complete product spectrum (pyrolysis oils Tire Recycling” report contains a detailed in- ferent production processes. The report also
(TDO), syngas, and recovered Carbon Black troduction to tire recycling, taking into con- contains a recommendation for the major
(rCB)). A section about understanding the sideration the complete product spectrum components to be included in the plant’s
tire pyrolysis technology informs about the (TDF, TDA, rubber crumb, powder and steel), process, and a list of applications (play-
production process and describes the differ- an overview about rules, regulations and the ground, equestrian and gym flooring, traf-
ent equipment types. Besides, it provides a current legal framework for tire recycling fic & safety equipment, sound and vibration
list of the major components to be included operators and the use of tire recycling de- control,…), a general summary of the cur-
in a tire pyrolysis plant’s process, including rived products around the world as well rent and future trends and innovations in
pre-processing, an overview of the markets as a section about understanding the tire the fast-paced molded goods industry and
for tire pyrolysis output products, an over- recycling technology. It will inform about the a list of suppliers of molded goods equip-
view of the major players (technology pro- production process and describes the diffe- ment and relevant international players. All
viders and operators) around the world, sum- rent equipment types required to successfully reports are delivered in PDF format at a price
marised by global regions as well as general recycle tires. Also included is a list of the ma- of EUR 2,500 each and can be ordered di-
summary of the current and future trends jor components necessary in a tire recycling rectly from Weibold.
and innovations in the fast-paced pyrolysis plant’s process, including pre-processing. Be-
industry. This section will include high level sides, a list of applications for a tire recycling www.weibold.com
RFP 2/2021 – Volume 16 85
82-85__210120 29_Fecken-Kirfel_RFP 02-2021_DL_1904.indd 85 20.04.21 09:40
You can also read
