Millions of tires are considered non-functional each year around the globe, leading to an increase in solid waste. Worn-out and non-functional tires can be a critical health hazard due to their large volume of usage and inherent durability. For a number of reasons, the process of recycling is not only a practical approach but an eco-friendly option as well. Owing to the advancement of tire technology, tire recycling has made significant progress over the last few years. A number of tire companies such as Giti Tire, being one of the leading global tire manufacturers, has come forward with the aim of promoting environmental production and making a contribution to society.
A brief introduction to tire recycling
Tire recycling, which is also known as rubber recycling in the automobile industry, refers to the methods and procedures of recycling non-functional tires that are unusable due to the limited durability of the product and constant wear and tear. Since such tires are the root of demanding resources of hazardous solid waste, reusing the unusable tires are involved in the recycling process. The entire procedure of tire recycling involves converting the wasted tires into specific materials that can be reused to create other products.
Due to the size and shape of tires, out-of-order tires tend to take up a substantial amount of space in landfills, which can be conserved only through recycling. Un-recycled tires can lead to numerous health hazards as well. Recycling tires in a methodical way not only benefits society but also the environment in a broader sense in multiple ways. It is only through effective tire recycling that there is a proper balance between the growing automobile usage and the number of unusable tires.
Advantages to re-using tires
- Produce new products
The recycling of non-functional tires entails scraping the rubber, which can then be used to make other useful products such as crumb rubber or fuel derived from tires. The tire-derived fuel, which is a by-product of recycling tires, is useful and eco-friendly because it emits few harmful emissions compared to other resources.
From an industrial viewpoint, the tire-derived fuel is also a cost-efficient alternative compared to common fuel derived from coal. Such fuel derived from recycling tires holds the capacity to increase boiler efficiency, limit manufacturing costs, lower atmospheric emissions and can be used in paper mills and cement kilns.
Other useful industrial products that can be created through recycling tires are rubberized asphalt, railroad ties, flooring, and turf from playground activities. These by-products are not only a way to reuse unusable old tires but can be a better alternative to their common counterparts. Apart from creating new products from the recycling process, it is also a convenient method of extracting materials like fibre, steel, and nylon that can be used in various industrial projects.
- Eliminates the possibility of spreading diseases
Due to the round and hollow shape of the tires, abandoned old tires tend to be a common breeding ground for disease-carrying insects and rodents. The stagnant water accumulated in old, waste tires also acts as a catalyst in breeding mosquitoes that may lead to diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika, to name a few.
Not only that, the possibility of finding disease-carrying rodents like mice and rats also increases drastically in a waste tire dumping ground. Since rodents can carry various diseases like leptospirosis or salmonellosis, getting in contact with their fluids or feces can be life-threatening in some cases.
- Reduce pollution
When a significant number of old, abandoned tires tend to accumulate in one place, the chances of catching fire from this flammable object increase drastically. Tire fires can cause two types of pollution—both harmful to the environment. Also known as pyrolysis, the slow-burning of the tires results in emitting toxic fumes and smoke.
In a fast-burning fire, harmful gases like carbon dioxide and Sulphur dioxide are produced that pollute the atmosphere to a great extent. Both tire fires and smothering the fire can pollute the environment, which increases the importance of recycling and reusing old tires.
- Way to conserve landfill space
Each year, a significant number of old, unusable tires are dumped into landfills, filling the space since the rubber of the tires takes years to decompose fully. The round and hollow shape of the tires is also another reason why recycling is necessary when it comes to tires since it can eliminate the bulky, unusable tires from landfill space.
Conclusion
The advancement of technology has accelerated the recycling procedures of everyday materials like tires. Giti Tire has taken the initiative of addressing the issues concerning environmental impacts due to climate change through its operations. Through green technologies like Flue-Gas Desulfurization (FGD), water recycling, and more, the Advanztech of Giti Tire has adopted innovative approaches to aid in sustaining the environment and to promote more green production.
