Sydney, Oct 3 (IANS) Every year, a billion tyres are discarded worldwide following wear and tear, with the bulk going into landfills and placing a burden on the environment. But now, researchers have found a way to reuse them — by creating rubber products.
‘We have come up with a way of giving new life to old tyres that should eliminate the need for them to end up in a landfill,’ said study author Chris Skourtis from Deakin University Institute for Technology Research and Innovation.
‘Tyres simply dumped or placed in landfill are known to leach harmful chemicals into the environment; cause fires; and provide a perfect breeding ground for pests like mosquitoes and rats,’ said Chris Skourtis from Deakin University.
‘Our process does not rely on chemicals and uses less power — making it more environmentally friendly,’ said Skourtis, according to a Deakin statement.
‘It also results in high quality ingredients that can replace virgin and synthetic rubbers in the manufacture of products such as new tyres, car parts, insulation materials, conveyor belts and asphalt additive for roads,’ said Skourtis.
Deakin researchers, led by Qipeng Guo, developed a small-scale facility at the university’s Waurn Ponds Campus to test and refine the recycling technology developed and patented by VR TEK Global.
‘We now have a technology that is far better than any other tyre recycling processes,’ Skourtis explained.
