Scrap Tire Recycling entireengineering.de（废轮胎回收entireengineering.de）.pdf

Scrap Tire Recycling A Summary of Prevalent Disposal and Recycling Methods by Kurt Reschner INTRODUCTION The technology to turn a potentially hazardous waste product (i.e., scrap tires) into a valuable resource is available now. This article contains a concise summary of the most common scrap tire recycling methods, as well as a discussion of prevalent uses for recycled tire rubber. Problems associated with uncontrolled or illegal scrap tire disposal As a rule of thumb, the scrap tire generation in industrialized countries is approximately one passenger car tire equivalent (PTE, 20 lbs., 9 kg) per population and year. It is estimated that 2 to 3 billion scrap tires are stockpiled in illegal or abandoned piles throughout the U.S. This figure represents the cumulative scrap tire generation of approximately ten years. For EU member states, it is safe to assume illegal or semi-legal scrap tire piles in the same order of magnitude. The most obvious hazard associated with the uncontrolled disposal and accumulation of large amounts of tires outdoors is the potential for large fires wich are extremely detrimental to the environment. Once a large pile catches fire, it is very hard, if not impossible, to extinguish. In some instances, large tire piles have been burning for several months with the fumes being visible for many