Recycling is a process of converting the waste or overrun tires into new materials. Recycling not only reduces the pollution but it also lowers the greenhouse effect. The term ‘Recycling’ is not just confined to paper or plastic products; in fact rubber of the tire has even been recycled and used for various purposes, some of which we will be discussing in this article.
It goes without saying that getting rid of old tires which are no longer in use can be an arduous task. Discarding tires is one of the stressful jobs for when they are burnt they cause air pollution. Even if they are being dumped, they require a large area of the landfill. Therefore, tires are not directly discarded, in fact, they pass through a series of steps to reach their final state. Firstly the tire is taken apart, and then its materials (metal wires, soft rubber, etc.) are assorted and are sold to the various dealers. The rubber from the old tires is used for multiple purposes. For example, the recycled tires are used to make the floor mattings and the solid thick rubbery surface at the gym where one drops the dumbbell. This flooring material is even used to make the courts for the indoor sports. Not only this, but recycled rubber is used in the manufacturing of shoes, materials for buildings, stationery, etc.
The used tires in the west are even used as a source of fuel such as in Germany. Tyres are used as a source of fuel because they have the same high calorific factor as that of coal. Moreover, in the power plants and other factories, the shredded tires are used as fuel along with fossil fuels like coal. Germany used approximately 55% of the old tires as a source of fuel in their various factories and industries.
While in Pakistan, old tires are used as a source of fuel in making bricks. Throughout the country, the kiln owners use the old tires for this purpose. Old tires are used in the tall kiln towers which are silo type ovens to bake the bricks. When the fuel prices were high, Pakistan also used to import pyrolysis plants from the China. It is a plant which separates the components of the tires. These plants separate the combustible fuels from the old tires. The fuel obtained from the tire is also called tire-derived fuel (TDF). It is the collection of the entire hydrocarbon obtained from the processing of tire. Hydrocarbons are collected in the gaseous form, but later hydrocarbons are converted into condensed liquid by cooling. This condensed fluid is similar to the diesel. Furthermore, this type of fuel production practice is common in most of the developing countries as well.
