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RESOURCE UTILIZATION ALTERNATIVES FOR SCRAP TIRES Terry A. Gray, Market Development Manager Hydroscience, Inc. Midland, Michigan 48640 Dimitri Jeon, Manager of Business Development Hydroscience, Inc. Emerson, New Jersey 07630 INTRODUCTION The evolution of worn or scrap tires could probably be traced back to the invention of its basic great grandfather, the wheel. Our population growth, industrialization, transportation needs, highway systems, and general affluence have culminated in the current generation of about 200 million worn tires per year in the U.S. alone[l]. But applications for worn tires have not evolved as rapidly as their generation, resulting in an increasing number of seemingly useless scrap tires. As this number has increased, so have the problems associated with their disposal. The objective of this discussion is to provide a brief historical perspective, review some current trends and uses, discuss some of the short- and long-term alternatives, and provide a simplified, flexible economic framework for your future consideration of several alternatives. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Early natural rubber tires were recognized as an economically attractive resource and were reclaimed for other constructive purposes. The development of synthetic elastomers and complex formulations have dramatically improved tire life and safety. However, it has also complicated the reclamation process and limited the markets for composite reclaim products. As a result, economic attractiveness has been diminished. Less than 7% of the scrap tires are currently reclaimed, and this percentage has been steadily decreasing [ 1 ]. The evolution of stronger tire bodies permitted recycle of some casings for reuse through retreading operations. This is a mature industry currently utilizing less than 20% of the worn tires. It has been most effectively utilized for truck, bus, and off-the- road tire life extension where tire body control by fleets is easiest and economics are most compelling. The public apparently considers retreaded tires to be inferior, possibly because we are conscious of the abuse we give the tire carcass in its initial use. The economic differences are often not considered compelling. As a result, the percentage of worn tires used by this industry has been declining and probably will continue to do so unless availability of new tires or economic differences unexpectedly change significantly. There are also a number of smaller uses like door mats, dock bumpers, and many others using split tires and some ingenious uses for whole tires in landscaping and recreation, but we can only construct so many children's swings. Totally these uses account for less than 2% of the worn tires and even a significant percentage growth would not have a major impact on the problem. 10
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC1977002 |
Title | Resource utilization alternatives for scrap tires |
Author |
Gray, Terry A. Jeon, Dimitri |
Date of Original | 1977 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 32nd Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,26931 |
Extent of Original | p. 10-16 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-06-30 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page010 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | RESOURCE UTILIZATION ALTERNATIVES FOR SCRAP TIRES Terry A. Gray, Market Development Manager Hydroscience, Inc. Midland, Michigan 48640 Dimitri Jeon, Manager of Business Development Hydroscience, Inc. Emerson, New Jersey 07630 INTRODUCTION The evolution of worn or scrap tires could probably be traced back to the invention of its basic great grandfather, the wheel. Our population growth, industrialization, transportation needs, highway systems, and general affluence have culminated in the current generation of about 200 million worn tires per year in the U.S. alone[l]. But applications for worn tires have not evolved as rapidly as their generation, resulting in an increasing number of seemingly useless scrap tires. As this number has increased, so have the problems associated with their disposal. The objective of this discussion is to provide a brief historical perspective, review some current trends and uses, discuss some of the short- and long-term alternatives, and provide a simplified, flexible economic framework for your future consideration of several alternatives. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Early natural rubber tires were recognized as an economically attractive resource and were reclaimed for other constructive purposes. The development of synthetic elastomers and complex formulations have dramatically improved tire life and safety. However, it has also complicated the reclamation process and limited the markets for composite reclaim products. As a result, economic attractiveness has been diminished. Less than 7% of the scrap tires are currently reclaimed, and this percentage has been steadily decreasing [ 1 ]. The evolution of stronger tire bodies permitted recycle of some casings for reuse through retreading operations. This is a mature industry currently utilizing less than 20% of the worn tires. It has been most effectively utilized for truck, bus, and off-the- road tire life extension where tire body control by fleets is easiest and economics are most compelling. The public apparently considers retreaded tires to be inferior, possibly because we are conscious of the abuse we give the tire carcass in its initial use. The economic differences are often not considered compelling. As a result, the percentage of worn tires used by this industry has been declining and probably will continue to do so unless availability of new tires or economic differences unexpectedly change significantly. There are also a number of smaller uses like door mats, dock bumpers, and many others using split tires and some ingenious uses for whole tires in landscaping and recreation, but we can only construct so many children's swings. Totally these uses account for less than 2% of the worn tires and even a significant percentage growth would not have a major impact on the problem. 10 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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