Every year, millions of tires from cars and trucks end up in landfills. Just in the U.S., more than 270 million tires were scrapped in 2021 and more than 50 million of them ended up in landfills. Discarded tires take up huge amounts of space but, more importantly, create environmental hazards. They leach chemicals into the environment and are a serious fire hazard.
Some tires are chemically recycled via pyrolysis, which is a high-temperature process to decompose the materials in the tire. But that process introduces harmful byproducts like benzene and dioxins.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill have introduced a new chemical method for breaking down rubber waste. The process transforms discarded rubber into valuable precursors for epoxy resins.
Rubber – either natural rubber or the synthetic kind used in tires – is made of polymers cross-linked together to form a tough, flexible, and durable material. These very desirable properties make it difficult to break down rubber.
The new research has led to a two-step chemical process that breaks down the rubber into functional materials that be used to produce epoxy resins. The method does not require extremely high temperatures, uses aqueous media, and takes only six hours. It represents an efficient, scalable solution for repurposing rubber waste which, even as many other aspects of motor vehicle are changing for the better, remains a continuing environmental problem associated with driving.
This new research marks a significant step towards greener recycling technologies.
**********
Web Links
A Cleaner Future for Tires: Scientists Pioneer Chemical Process to Repurpose Rubber Waste
Photo, posted May 5, 2011, courtesy of TireZoo via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
Leave a Reply