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Scrap Tire Recycling: Convincing Businesses to Integrate Inexpensive, Cutting-edge Technology to Convert Tires Into Various Construction Materials

EPA Grant Number: SU831811
Title: Scrap Tire Recycling: Convincing Businesses to Integrate Inexpensive, Cutting-edge Technology to Convert Tires Into Various Construction Materials
Investigators: Teymour, Fouad , Arastoopour, Hamid
Institution: Illinois Institute of Technology
EPA Project Officer: Nolt-Helms, Cynthia
Project Period: September 30, 2004 through May 30, 2005
Project Amount: $17,132
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet (2004)
Research Category: Pollution Prevention , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Description:

Scrap tires cause serious environmental pollution and health problems. Although worldwide figures are imprecise, it is known that one-fourth of the 283 million tires scrapped in the United States were landfilled last year. Hundreds of millions more tires are annually discarded to landfills in other countries, consuming a staggering amount of land space, creating a high risk for large toxic fires, breeding mosquitoes that spread mortal diseases, and wasting the planet's natural resources. This situation cannot be sustained.

This proposal will bring two already-proven technological solutions into the business arena so that tire recycling will become economically feasible. These two proven technologies are a patented non-cryogenic pulverization technology, solid-state shear extrusion (SSSE), and a newly developed particle modification technology. Both were developed at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The SSSE process is capable of producing fine rubber particles at a far lower cost than competing cryogenic pulverization processes. The new particle modification technology enhances the properties of the rubber particles produced by the SSSE process and enables them to be used in high "value-added" applications such as low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paint coatings, waterborne sport surfacing, and near-zero VOC powder coatings. Together, these technologies could result in a dramatic reduction of tires sent to landfills. Recycled rubber materials would be turned into environmentally benign polymeric coatings, inexpensive constructional materials, and other products for use in both developed and developing nations.

Funding is requested to develop, test and refine a strategy to integrate these two proven technologies into the business world. The strategy will be planned and executed by a multidisciplinary team of IIT students in engineering, science, business and architecture working under close faculty supervision. Materials will be prepared to create samples. Based on sample testing, test marketing analysis, and evaluation an optimal business model will be designed.

This work will be carried out as part of IIT’s Interprofessional Projects Program (IPRO). The IPRO program, a hallmark of IIT, brings together students of different disciplines to solve real-world challenges. This proposal will equip an IPRO team with supplies and equipment to achieve the project described above. If the goal is achieved, this tire recycling IPRO project will become a model in the curriculum for future generations of students, demonstrating a successful effort by a multidisciplinary team working together to solve an environmental problem of planetary significance.

Supplemental Keywords:

sustainable development, innovative technology, recycling, and conservation. , INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, Sustainable Industry/Business, Scientific Discipline, Waste, RFA, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, cleaner production/pollution prevention, Municipal, Engineering, reuse, tires, scrap tires, solid state shear extrusion, recovery, waste recovery, municipal solid waste landfills, recovered materials, recycling, hazardous waste, innovative technology, pyrolysis, municipal waste, pollution prevention, disposal
Relevant Websites:

Scrap tire recycling exit EPA
Project Description

Progress and Final Reports:
Final Report

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

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