Tire recycling, or rubber recycling, is the process of recycling waste tires that are no longer suitable for use on vehicles due to wear or irreparable damage. These tires are a challenging source of waste, due to the large volume produced, the durability of the tires, and the components in the tire that are ecologically problematic.[1]
Because tires are highly durable and non-biodegradable, they can consume valuable space in landfills.[1] If waste tires are improperly managed they may cause rubber pollution. In 1990, it was estimated that over 1 billion scrap tires were in stockpiles in the United States. As of 2015, only 67 million tires remain in stockpiles.[2] From 1994 to 2010, the European Union increased the amount of tires recycled from 25% of annual discards to nearly 95%, with roughly half of the end-of-life tires used for energy, mostly in cement manufacturing.[3][4]
Pyrolysis and devulcanization could facilitate recycling. Aside from use as fuel, the main end use for tires remains ground crumb rubber.[2][5] In 2017, 13% of U.S. tires removed from their primary use were sold in the used tire market. Of the tires that were scrapped, 43% were burnt as tire-derived fuel, with cement manufacturing the largest user, another 25% were used to make ground rubber, 8% were used in civil engineering projects, 17% were disposed of in landfills and 8% had other uses.[6] Globally, tire graveyards are a common environmental hazard, with significant pollutants and other challenges. For example, the Sulaibiya tire graveyard in Kuwait has had repeat highly toxic fires.[7]
^ ab"Scrap Tires: Handbook on Recycling Applications and Management for the U.S. and Mexico" (PDF). epa.gov. United States Environmental Protection Agency. December 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2016.
^ ab"Stockpile Cleanup". Rubber Manufacturers Association. 15 March 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016 – via Google Scholar.
^"End of Life Tyres: A Valuable Resource with Growing Potential" (PDF). European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
^Sienkiewicz, Maciej; Kucinska-Lipka, Justyna; Janik, Helena; Balas, Adolf (October 2012). "Progress in used tyres management in the European Union: A review". Waste Management. 32 (10): 1742–1751. Bibcode:2012WaMan..32.1742S. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2012.05.010. PMID 22687707.
^Myhre, Marvin; Saiwari, Sitisaiyidah; Dierkes, Wilma; Noordermeer, Jacques (2012). "Rubber Recycling: Chemistry, Processing, and Applications". Rubber Chemistry and Technology. 85 (3): 408–449. doi:10.5254/rct.12.87973.
^"2017 U.S. Scrap Tire Management Summary" (PDF). U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association. 18 July 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
^Technologies, Mano. "EPA To Remove Tires From Site, Hand Over Land To PAHW Soon | Kuwait Local". Kuwaitlocal. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
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