Sustainability Impact
Each year more than 1 billion scrap tires are produced globally. During the average life of a tire, only 20% of the rubber is used, leaving a staggering number with nowhere to go.
Since there are few uses for scrap tires, we burn nearly half of them for their fuel value. Besides posing environmental air quality hazards, burning only recovers a small portion of the energy that went into making these tires’ rubber.
But now, with our environmentally-friendly rubber devulcanization technology, scrap tire rubber can be recycled into a new, versatile, high quality rubber master-batch material – Tire-Derived Polymer, or TDP.
TDP means:
- Reduced consumption of synthetic rubber – a non-renewable petroleum-based resource.
- Reduced air pollution – more than half of all scrap tires are burned for their fuel value (TDF).
- Reduced amount of Greenhouse Gas generated in making new tire rubber.
- Reduced environmental hazards associated with scrap tires.
Energy recovered from incineration of TDF: 36%
Energy conserved from using TDP in tires: >90%
Today, more than 50% of global scrap tires are diverted as TDF (Tire-Derived Fuel) for energy recovery by incineration. As illustrated by the Recycle Pyramid above, energy recovery is the lowest form of recycling.
Because our TDP product can be reused for its originally intended purpose, it represents the highest form of recycling. Our devulcanization technology enables scrap tire management agencies to implement “Best Practice” policies in managing this enormous “renewable” resource.
While people may argue that scrap tires as TDF are a cheap source of fuel, there is no argument that the same scrap tires used as TDP will bring many more environmental and economic benefits. The Tyromer devulcanization technology will enable tire and rubber goods manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprints as well. For sustainability, we must all Tread Lightly™.
