Category: Blog

Everywhere I go, I see objects made of recycled tire rubber. I can’t help but smile every time because I think this is a sort of “professional distortion”: as a professional in the tire recycling business, I tend to see the world through the lenses of my work experience, noticing things that other people do not even see. Talking with people around me, however, I have realized that there is little awareness of how many new products can be manufactured starting with the rubber coming out of the tire recycling process, and how broad their fields of application can be. The world of tire-derived moulded goods is a universe of which we have not come to know the borders yet.

The journey from tires to recycled rubber moulded goods starts with waste: when a tire reaches the end of its life, it needs to be properly disposed of and this often implies going through a shredding process. In this phase, rubber is separated from a tire’s other components and reduced into granulate. This rubber granulate, also known as rubber crumb, is no longer a waste but a valuable secondary raw material that, thanks to a transformation process, gives tires a new life.

The technology to produce tire-derived moulded goods has been on the market for more than 20 years and it is thus consolidated. Its maturity together with the relatively low investment level makes it a technology accessible to small companies as well. But how does it work? The recycled rubber crumb is mixed with a polyurethane binder coming in liquid form, which is usually around 8% to 10% of the weight of the rubber granulate. In case the final product needs to have a color other than black, color may be added to the mix. A small amount of water is also inserted because the humidity is the real trigger for the binder to start reacting. The mix is then unloaded into a press equipped with a mould and subject to constant pressure where it takes the desired shape.

The production process can be hot or cold. We speak about a hot process when heat is added during the pressing phase: this usually happens thanks to some electrical heatings and is used in the production of most moulded goods. While heat is not necessary for the binder to react, it speeds up the process and allows for a higher output rate.          
A cold process is used when the goods to be manufactured are too thick to allow the heat to evenly spread through the product, reaching its inner part as well. Once the mix of rubber and binder has been unloaded into the mould and pressed, it needs to rest until the binder has completely cured, which may take up to 24 hours depending on the binder used, product’s thickness, and room temperature.

The basic production process is simple: a mixer and a press are the only pieces of equipment you will need if you want to produce moulded goods starting with recycled tire rubber crumb. If, however, you want to industrialize the system to make it a profitable business, you should invest in equipment that allows you to automatize the process and increase your productivity.

For example, adding PLC control to the mixer guarantees an accurate weight dosing of all components that translates into a consistent and high quality of the finished goods. Additionally, the possibility to track all production data is key when understanding how to adjust the mix to improve some specific qualities or simply when facing possible customer claims. The same ratio applies to the press: by checking working pressure and heat the producer knows in advance if the resulting moulded goods will respect the quality parameters and will also be able to prevent possible failures of the machine, intervening promptly and reducing downtime.

Tire-derived moulded goods have an incredibly wide range of applications thanks to rubber’s excellent noise, shock, and vibration damping characteristics. The industry covered are playground and leisure equipment, commercial and industrial flooring, traffic and safety, flooring for livestock, construction, and infrastructure. The most famous examples are the anti-shock tiles installed in children’s playgrounds to reduce the possible impact of a child falling on the ground but there is much more. If we look at our roads, we can find speed bumps, safety barriers, and supports for road signs that are often made of recycled rubber, making them a greener and cheaper alternative to those manufactured with virgin material. When we go to the gym, the flooring is covered with rubber tiles made of recycled rubber and the bumper plates we use for weightlifting are probably made of it, too. In apartment buildings, the insulating layer is of recycled rubber because it reduces the propagation of vibration and noise from one floor or apartment to the other. Anti-seismic devices made of recycled rubber have been developed to lower the risk of damage during earthquakes.

The industry has been experiencing steady growth over the last few years, boosted by the general trend towards a circular economy. New applications are constantly being developed but until now, none of them has proved to be a potential game changer. Every year, more and more tires reach the end of their life and the amount of recycled rubber generated is so big that until now, it cannot be absorbed by the existing range of moulded goods. To exploit this hidden potential, different players must come together to innovate: technology providers, companies operating with vibration and noise damping systems, universities and circular economy experts must cooperate to find new high-volume applications in which recycled rubber offers superior performance staying competitive with the price. This, together with the research for alternative ways to eliminate or reduce the use of PU binders in the process to lower production cost, is probably the major technical challenge we need to face. The other challenge we have is fighting the still circulating mentality of “new is better performing” and “tires are a waste I don’t care about”: we are all equally responsible for taking care of our planet and this means also taking advantage of used material without always extracting new ones. If we become 100% aware of this, we will naturally undergo a mental shift that will lead us to start seeing opportunities in the strangest places. This will no longer be the “professional distortion” of a single person but a widespread common mindset that will ultimately be our ticket to change. 

 

PDF file: A ticket to change: tire-derived moulded goods manufacturing

 

 

 

How many of us have used a vehicle rolling on tires today to go to work, drive the children to school or go shopping? Our entire transportation system relies on tires. And not only are we using tire-based vehicles to move as passengers, but we make an extensive use of them to move around tons and tons of goods every year. In the European Union (EU28) in 2017, 50% of all goods[1] relied on road transport and this number goes up to almost 61% in the USA[2].

This constant movement of people and goods generates 1.5 billion of waste tires every year. Because of their central role in freight and passenger mobility, tires can and must play their part in contributing to a greener world. If correctly managed, they can help reduce CO2 emissions and waste stockpile, setting the path forward for a circular economy-based system.

In road transport, tires are the only element of a vehicle touching the ground. They are essential to hold the vehicle safely on the road, supporting its weight while absorbing the shocks coming from vibrations, providing grip and maintaining steering and directional control.

Because of their central role in keeping the world running, tire manufacturers are constantly researching and innovating features that can ensure safe mobility and superior performance. Over the last few years, these innovation efforts focused on improving tires’ sustainability, trying to lower as much as possible the impact they have on the environment. Here is where the concept of rolling resistance comes into play. Rolling resistance is defined as the force resisting the motion when a body rolls on a surface: being tires the only link between the vehicle and the ground, they can be responsible of up to 30% (when properly inflated and maintained) of the vehicle’s fuel consumption[3]. Innovation is helping in this sense: since the 1990s, Low Rolling Resistance Tires have entered the market, allowing for improved fuel savings. Other technological innovations, such as Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), help us keep track of the inflation and act as soon as something is wrong in order to restore the ideal situation.

Technology and constant innovation are key in making tires more sustainable but they would be completely useless without us, the users, making the right decisions. Indeed, there is a lot each one of us can do to preserve our environment: tires are not only a mean to move freely but can become part of a true circular economy, based on Repair, Reuse Recycle and Repurpose: a 4R vision. We believe in a greener future and through a 4R vision it can become a shared responsibility.

Repair is tightly linked to resource conservation: why changing an entire tire if it can instead be repaired and roll for many more miles? The number of damages that current state of the art technology cannot repair is very small, avoiding unnecessary waste. Repairing a tire is cheap, accessible to all and ensures maximal driver safety.

If a tire does not have any puncture or damage but is simply worn out, it can be easily retreaded. Although not very well-known to the wide public, this process allows to Reuse the casing of the tire, and just replace the tread. This can be done several times and ensures the highest safety standards: few know that most aircraft tires, which because of their function need to comply with particularly strict safety rules, are almost all retreaded and can undergo this process up to 12 times. According to the European Tire and Rubber Manufacturing Association (ETRMA), one retreaded tire can reduce waste of approximately 160kg and save 104 kg of raw material.[4]

Sooner or later, however, all tires reach the end of their journey and need to be treated in some way. Up until not so many years ago, tires were just dumped in landfills or thrown on the ocean floor. Whilst unfortunately this is still the case in many parts of the world, there is a growing awareness towards the possibility to Recycle them. Through recycling, a tire can be born again and truly enter into a circular economy model. The recycling process may start with a downsizing phase, if the tires are too big to be processed as they are. If this is not the case, it usually starts directly with the shredding phase, during which tires’ individual components (rubber, steel and textile) are separated and reduced into smaller pieces. Tires treated this way can have a lot of possible applications: they can be used in energy recovery as Tire-Derived-Fuel (TDF), in civil construction projects as Tire-Derived-Aggregate (TDA), in rubberized asphalt, infill for artificial turf or they can be further processed thanks to a pyrolysis or devulcanization plant. 

Repurpose brings recycling a step forward. By taking the rubber crumb coming out from the recycling process, new products are created that have nothing to do with what a tire was created for. This usually happens through a moulding process, in which the rubber is mixed with a binding agent and then pressed in a mould to give it a completely new shape. The most well-known examples are rubber mats used in children’s playgrounds but the number of applications is enormous and many still need to be discovered. Rubber, thanks to its excellent noise and vibration damping characteristics, can be used in a wide variety of applications. How often have we wished our neighbor to turn down the volume of his music or our colleague not to be so loud when walking on her high heels? Using recycled rubber sheath to this aim can considerably reduce those annoying effects and increase our life quality while at the same time boosting circular economy.

Tires are necessary to keep our economic system move. The growing attention to the environment has driven forward research in new technologies that help save raw materials in the production process while ensuring the highest safety, quality and performance standards. One recent innovation that is being developed based on this philosophy is the airless tire: made of 100% recyclable materials, it promises to be more robust, avoid tires thrown away because of non-reparable damages and allows for an increased number of miles driven.

Making conscious decisions starts when we enter a tire shop to buy new tires and continues when we decide to use recycled tires-derived products in our new house. We often perceive the rhetoric around circular economy, sustainability and climate change to be part a top-down process, where “countries” need to put in place a bunch of actions to reach specific targets: it is a “they” vs “I”. In reality, no such contrast exists because countries are made of citizens, that by starting with small and apparently meaningless actions, can make the difference, nurturing a collaborative culture based on the “us”.

This new perception unveils a stunning yet simple truth: acting at governmental level only is not enough to change the current paradigm of human kind living and exploiting the nature. The real game changer is restarting from that “human”, giving value to individuals deciding today to preserve our tomorrow. In tire management, a 4r vision is the conceptual framework to grow people awareness, empowering them to have a visible impact on the world. The change start with ourselves: let us not forget this to build the world we want to live in.

[1] ANFIA, Dossier trasporto merci su strada  Aprile 2020

[2] Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2020

[3] ETRMA position towards sustainable mobilidty for cars and light duty vehicles

[4] https://www.etrma.org/key-topics/circular-economy/

 

PDF file: WhitePaper TyreManagement

 

 

We are very proud to announce that Michelin has selected Salvadori Srl, as the supplier for the downsizing technology required to reduce tires for its new recycling plant. 

The tiremaker’s new generation recycling plant, built in collaboration with Enviro, is under construction in Chile’s Antofagasta region. It aims to recycle about 30,000 tons of earthmover tires per year.

Luca Olcese, our General Manager, said, “The Michelin project is innovative and very important for us. The fact that a giant of this caliber in tire manufacturing has decided to invest its resources in a fully integrated recycling and processing plant is a very important sign for Salvadori, who is a pioneer in this industry. It strengthens us and opens incredible promises and business prospects. The world needs to solve this problem and we are present.”

The idea for the recycling plant was conceptualized as a solution to dispose of large-sized earthmoving machinery tires which can be recycled directly on site. The cutting station consists of three types of equipment. The first type is used to separate the sides of the tread, the second to remove the bead or the steel core that forms the structure of the tire, and the last to cut into small pieces of what remains from processing which will be used in downstream transformation processes. The cut tires are then ready to enter a transformation process.

The machines were designed and developed together with Michelin here in the Trentino Sviluppo technological hub in Rovereto.

 

Click here to read the Press Release

My family and I are blessed to live in Trentino, a small Province in northern Italy. A region known for its stunning landscapes featuring soaring mountains, serene lakes, and sprawling forests. Living here is a privilege I vow to never take for granted and preserving the environment for my children and future generations drives the work that I do. That is why I am proud to be a part of an organization committed to helping save our planet.

Our company focuses on the safe repurposing and recycling of waste tires. Did you know that if not properly processed a waste tire can sit in a landfill for up to 100 years? That’s simply not sustainable and certainly not acceptable.

Huge stockpiles of waste tires are like ticking time bombs, posing health and environmental concerns including:
• Fire risk, harming both people and animals.
• During a tire blaze, toxic emissions are releasing into the atmosphere including oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and benzene, known carcinogens.
• Toxic substances leached into the soil and water table.
• In warmer climates, a waste tire will store rain and become an ideal incubator for mosquito larvae, thus increasing the risk of spreading diseases such as dengue, malaria, and zika.

Our initial focus was on passenger and truck tires, but recently we have identified mining tires as a growing area of concern. There are over 6,000 open pit mines operating on our planet. These mines use a wide range of equipment including dump trucks, loaders and other wheeled vehicles. On average, there are 29 mining vehicles per operation, meaning that there are over 175,000 mining vehicles in operations around the world.

These are not your average tires either. Some of these vehicles are equipped with extra-large tires with rims up to 63” in diameter and weighing up to six tons! A mining dump truck typically consists of six wheels that have an average operating life of only 5-10 months. Once these tires can no longer be repaired or retreaded, an estimated 1 million mining tires (over 5 million tons of material) end up in landfills.

But this does not have to be the case. My company specializes in the equipment, processes, and technology to repurpose and recycle these tires into new, usable goods. Turning stockpiles of tires from dangerous and wasteful ticking time bombs into sustainable value.

Andrea Pitto
Salvadori Director

Old tyres are a valuable resource, as rubber retains its positive material properties when recycled. This opens up many opportunities for processing end-of-life tyres (ELT), not least because specialized engineering companies are enabling ever more efficient production processes for tyre recycling and processing in the form of rubber granulate. As a result, the spectrum of sustainable products made in this process is growing.

Quantities and processing of old tyres

The world produces huge quantities of old tyres every year. These are referred to as end-of-life tyres (ELT). A December 2019 report on global ELT management estimates that the EU and 13 other countries produced a total of 29.1 million t of ELT (fig. 1). The report also states that 26.1 million t of old tyres were reclaimed, with a high proportion being processed for energy or materials.

The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) also publishes data on the utilization of old tyres. It estimates that in 2018, a total of 3.26 million t of ELT were reclaimed in 32 countries (EU 28, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey). In the same year, EU member states approved measures to strengthen the waste hierarchy and place greater emphasis on waste reduction, reuse and recycling. These measures focus primarily on granting a second life to old tyres through retreading. If this is not possible, the next step is to reclaim the composite materials of the tyre and use these secondary materials to create sustainable products in a circular economy. The measures seek to avoid incineration of old tyres, i.e. energy recovery, as much as possible to preserve resources. In 2018, around 1.25 million t of ELT were incinerated. Recycling accounts for 62 % of old tyres or around 2 million t. This trend looks set to continue in future.

Recycled rubber – a valuable secondary material

What makes ELT so interesting for recycling is the high proportion of natural and synthetic rubber it contains. Rubber is perfectly suited for recycling, as it retains its positive properties. Secondary products, produced from rubber granulate and binders, often also have a longer service life than the primary product – the tyres. The following list details just some of the products that can be made from recycled rubber granulate using cutting-edge production technology:

• • • Covers and wall systems for protecting people, animals and objects
    • Noise insulation in walls
    • Fall protection flooring, e.g. on play-grounds
    • Floor systems for animal stalls
    • Impact sound insulation
    • Anti-slip mats, e.g. for load securing

In some countries, businesses that recycle ELT can benefit from state support.

From scrap tyres to valuable material

The most valuable sources of tyre rubber are so-called supersize tyres of the kind used on mining vehicles. These often weigh several tonnes and measure over 4 m in diameter. It is their sheer size that makes these tyres so suitable for recycling, alongside car and truck tyres. But these huge tyres first need to be shredded before they can be recycled. Salvadori produces hydraulic cutters to reduce the volume of these tyres, along with equipment for re-moving the steel beading inside (fig. 2). Both process steps make the subsequent re-cycling of the supersize tyres much easier.

In this purely mechanical process, the tyres or parts thereof are cut in several steps until the metal components inside can be magnetically separated. The rubber chips undergo further fine granulation, while the textile components are removed by a vacuum. At the end of the process, all components are fully separated from each other. The resulting rubber granulate can then be provided in various qualities and grain sizes for further processing, according to individual customer requirements.

From rubber granulate to the semi-finished product

Rubber granulate can be pressed together in further production steps with added binders to form large blocks or cylinders (fig. 3-5). These can then be turned into sustainable end products easily and efficiently, for example using the splitting ma-chines from Fecken-Kirfel. Before compression, it is possible to mix up to four different materials (e.g. SBR or EPDM in various grain sizes). This results in a wide range of potential products. It is therefore possible to influence the properties of the end product (density, hardness, elasticity, colour, etc.), resulting in a broad field of applications.

From block and cylinder to a sustainable product

Once a block or cylinder is produced, how does it become a product with defined properties, quickly and efficiently, and in the right thickness and/or with special pro-filing? Fecken-Kirfel specializes in tailored machinery and systems for cutting and splitting. Blocks can be turned into wall systems, impact sound insulation, sound insulation mats, fall safety mats and anti-slip mats. The automated H 24 G band knife splitting machine is suited for splitting blocks into the required thickness (fig. 6). With its reinforced design, it is capable of accurately splitting even heavy materials with a density of up to 1,100 kg/m3 and a hardness of up to 70 Shore A, depending on the material properties. In processing, these rubber granulate blocks usually measure up to 300 mm in height. Depending on the material, grain size, distribution and binder quality, it is possible to split layers measuring 1.5 – 2 mm to up to 30 mm in thickness. The H 24 G is equipped with Windows-based control for simple and intuitive operation. It features a vacuum system that can secure the block to the movable table if required. The cutting program runs automatically according to the required formats and quantities, making it possible for the machine to be operated by just one person. Handling is made easier by the visualization of cutting parameters, along with the ability to incorporate an automatic stacking system. Thanks to its flexibility, productivity and efficiency, the H 24 G is a highly profitable machine for users.

A further processing option is offered by the D 31 profile cutting machine, which expands the potential usages of the rubber granulate (fig. 7). Profile cutting makes it possible to give the material certain additional properties. Profiled mats made from permeable rubber granulate, for example, enable fluid drainage. These are therefore often used in ani-mal stalls to provide warm, safe, dry and comfortable flooring for horses and cattle. This is just one example of the potential end product applications that make the D 31 an interesting option as a pure pro-file cutting machine. Profile cutting is possible for soft materials with a density of 500 – 800 kg/m³. The profile depth is generally between 5 mm and 10 mm. Automatically readjusting band-knives ensure compliance with tight tolerances, along with a cast iron construction and specially formed highly robust band-knife beams. The machine can also be combined with rolling systems.

The compact K 31 band knife splitting machine represents a lower-cost alternative for splitting rubber granulate blocks. The K 31/D 31 combined splitting and profile cutting machine offers additional processing flexibility. It makes it possible to use the same machine for profile cutting sim-ply by replacing the feed rollers with profile rollers.

Fecken-Kirfel’s R 24 band knife peeling machine is ideal for producing sheets and foils made from rubber granulate cylinders, which are then used to make sport and lei-sure floorings, for example (fig. 8 – 10). It can be used to peel materials with a density of 500 – 1,100 kg/m3. A special variant, the R 34, is currently under development and will be able to process cylinders weighing up to 7.5 t. It will therefore be particularly well suited to achieving high production capacities. The upper working width limit is 2,000 mm. Depending on the material properties, the potential thickness of the peeled layers ranges from 1.5 – 20 mm. The length of the sheets can be selected in advance, while there is also an optional side trimming system. The R 24 and R 34 both feature a powerful grinding system for the blades. This is important, as rubber granulate can still contain abrasive particles.

Opportunities in a growing market

Technological developments along the entire processing chain for rubber granulate products are unlocking new opportunities:

• • • Greater product quality
    • Development of new products
    • More cost-effective production
    • Greater value creation

According to the specifications of the EU waste hierarchy, the proportion of recycled old tyres is likely to rise further. The outstanding material properties of recycled rubber makes it an interesting option for many applications, particularly those that call for elasticity, heat retention and sound insulation. Businesses in the rubber industry are already using rubber granulate to produce fall safety panels, flooring, covers, wall systems and much more. Companies like tyre recycling specialist Salvadori and cutting expert Fecken-Kirfel are helping to further optimize these production processes. This leads to greater value creation that makes the sector even more interesting. Sustainable tyre recycling also makes a decisive contribution to preserving resources and protecting the environment.

 

Contacts:
Fecken-Kirfel GmbH & Co. KG, Aachen, Germany
www.fecken-kirfel.de

Article published on RFP International Magazine for Polymer Industry   Volume 16, April 2021  2|2021      
PDF Article RFP 02 2021 Page 82-85         

Rubberosion Inc. is the nation’s leading provider of value-added end use rubber products for stormwater and erosion control. Its business began with a vision: find a solution to Colorado’s scrap tire problem, which was large tire dumps, one which irrupted in a major tire fire, turning what was considered as an environmental problem into an environmental solution. Over the years, its distribution network grew together with the market demand for their products. To meet the increased production volumes, they started looking for solutions that could help them improve their manufacturing process.

Based on Rubberosion requirements, Salvadori developed a fully automated moulding unit that positioned the company at the forefront of quality and innovation in recycled rubber products. “Our operators now have user-friendly software and interface, assuring product quality and consistency. Together we have built a business relationship above just machinery and parts, we have built a relationship on innovation and green solutions” said Rick Welle President of Rubberosion.

 

SALVADORI AUTOMATED PRESS

Extreme flexibility thanks to the software, which stores creative formulas and allows for production in an automatic cycle. Compatible with the entire range of Salvadori’s molds. The dosing precision guarantees extremely high-quality levels with a dramatic increase in productivity.

 

SITUATION/CHALLENGE

Rubberosin sells their products through a channel of more than 30 distributors, whose demand has been significantly increasing in recent years.
The manufacturing process has been reliant on an inefficient system of compression molding, which involved manually feeding each mold with rubber granule. This manual operation led to extremely high labor costs, lower throughput and extensive employee overtime in order to deliver production volume equal to market demand.

Pressure to meet production volumes also led to quality issues when behaviors such as inconsistent cure times, erratic amounts of raw material fill and overall operator error compromised quality and production volumes. Additionally, the mold press lacked a properly integrated safety system and any electronic controls to monitor production standards.

Rubberosion is located in Colorado which relies on tourism, mostly thanks to its outdoor sports and natural beauty to drive the State’s economy. Last year alone, 82.4 million visitors spent a total of $19.7 billion, generating $1.2 billion in State and Local taxes. In July 2020, a sudden fire burned more than 3,000,000 tires, endangering the region’s environment as well as public health and safety. This tire fire also threated Rubberosion’s production plant as it is in close proximity to this tire dump.

 

SOLUTION

Rubberosion sought a strategic partner to tackle their production challenges. Concurrently, Rubberosion was working in conjunction with the State of Colorado, to locate a firm with the experience and expertise to eliminate this massive end of life tire dump and corresponding negative environmental impact.

Salvadori’s North American Business Development Manager Genti Bardhi had been in communication with the State and an exploratory meeting between the parties was conducted. Team Salvadori utilized their 4D solution development process and during the discovery session identified numerous areas of improvement for equipment and operational functionality.

“Salvadori is the only company in North America that offers a close loop solution to the tire recycling, from deconstructing the tire to creating life safe products from rubber artifacts. Our collaboration with the State of Colorado and Rubberosion to find a solution for the abandoned tires, was very successful in crating the best possible product for the market with the highest technological standards” said Bardhi.

Salvadori envisioned several overall improvements focused upon Rubberosion operational and functional objectives. Salvadori proposed a fully automated molding unit which precisely dispensed and monitored raw rubber granule utilizing an electronic PLC system, thereby ensuring QA standards where being achieved.

Likewise, Salvadori engineered OHSA compliant operator safety features while increasing operator ease of use which reduced operator fatigue while increasing overall productivity.

 

RESULTS

Overall, Rubberosion benefited from enhanced technology which enabled their transition to automated and safe operation, as well as delivering enhanced functionality.The design also supplies a more advanced and efficient molding method which led to cost savings, faster mold changeover times, improved productivity, and improved product quality. The new equipment and design is especially important during Covid -19 workplace challenges.

Specific Enhancements Included:
Compression molding systems are up to 3 times faster than the company’s previous method.
Changeover time for weekly production and processing decreased by 1 ½ days.
Increased savings from reduced maintenance downtime.
Higher safety standards according to the highest OSHA and UL standards in USA.
Increased savings on product storage and associated inventory management in the plant.
Improved productivity while decreasing the number of machine-operators required.
Guaranteed production for 3 shifts, 7 days a week, thanks to automated workflow, which avoided production losses due to COVID-19 staffing issues.
Interchangeable tools/molds
Industry leading customer support and remote-control system monitoring.

 

COVID-19 HOW SALVADORI THRIVED DURING AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE

A moulding automated unit is a highly complex piece of equipment, that must be precisely positioned and tested before the system starts fully operating. Salvadori’s world class installation experts across all the required disciplines have always performed the installations in person to ensure that every unit meets and exceeds Salvadori’s customer expectations worldwide.

With the Covid-19 pandemic at its peak, reaching Rubberosion’s installation site in Colorado, U.S.A. from Salvadori’s manufacturing base in Italy was not possible due to travel restrictions. Salvadori had to collaborate with Rubberosion to find a solution.

A multifunctional task force of Salvadori’s engineers, service technicians and assembly
line operators were quickly put in place and started working together with Rubberosion technicians to install the machinery remotely. This was the first time that Salvadori had to develop a remote installation procedure, and the moulding unit was already in U.S.A. leaving no time for advanced perpetration with Salvadori engineers for the remote installation process.

In a matter of days, a detailed procedure was shared with Rubberosion and the installation was successfully completed, with the virtual presence of Salvadori technicians, with both teams working in perfect alignment during Rubberosion’s normal business hours. “I’ve been very impressed with Salvadori’s first class customer service and technical support. The upgrade to the Salvadori molding press allowed us to increase our current production rates by 3 times, while improving our operator’s safety, and product quality” said Rick Welle President of Rubberosion.

Click the link below to read Rubbersosion in-depth article on  Scrap Tire News 
SCRAP TIRE NEWS MAGAZINE April 2021

Luca Olcese, our General Manager, gave a video introduction to Salvadori’s vision, which was presented at the China National Recycling Conference in Jinan City, Shandong province on Apr.22nd, 2021.
Due to the Covid-19, it was not possible for our team in Italy to attend the meeting in person, but thanks to our Tech colleagues we had the chance to participate to this initiative aimed at promoting our brand in China.
Many major players in the recycling industry attended the conference.

“Our company, Salvadori, was funded in 1983 and is based in Rovereto, northern Italy.
Since 2016 we are part of TRC – Technical Rubber Company – headquartered in Ohio, USA, and Group Companies in China, Japan, Thailand, Northern Ireland, Belgium, and Brasil.

TRC is driven by 4R strategic vision pivoting on Rubber and Tires:

• • Repair
  • Reuse
  • Recycle
  • Repurpose

Salvadori’s mission is to help the World to turn Waste into Value by providing equipment that makes it possible to Recycle tires’ rubber and transform it into new finished goods: we give a second life to such valuable raw material.
Today everybody speaks about green and circular economy: Salvadori’s equipment makes it happen in a safe, robust, and efficient manner.
Our solutions are installed in more than 45 countries in the world.

Salvadori provides a wide range of equipment for:

• • Downsizing and debeading all kinds of Tires, even giant 63” tires utilized by earth-movers in the mining industry.
  • Painting lines for mulch and buffing dust typically coming as a by-product from Tyre Retreading sector.
  • Moulding lines transforming Rubber Crumble out of shredding lines operating within Recycling Plants, into new products.

We could then expand the business and found recycling and repurposing solutions also for electric cable jackets and conveyor belts.
Our scope of work often requires delivering engineering-to-order solutions and develop tailor-made equipment meeting customers’ unique needs.
We follow a structured 4D approach that first Discover those needs and set our duty specifications; second, it Develop the solution; third it Design the equipment and eventually Deploy it by installing the equipment, training customer’ staff, and set up After Sales Service”. 

Huge stockpiles of waste tyres pose both health and environmental concerns. Tyre fire risk is very high in terms of both the environmental impact and safety to the nearby population of people and animals.

During a tyre blaze, toxic emissions can include oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benzene with potential carcinogens. These substances are capable of contaminating the atmosphere, soil and water table. In warmer climates, a waste tyre will also store rain and become an ideal incubator for mosquito larvae, thus increasing the risk of spreading diseases such as dengue, malaria and zika. If not properly processed, a waste tyre is there to stay for hundred years.
A few years ago, the only question people asked themselves when considering the environmental damage of a stockpile of end of life tyres was ‘what if?’ More recently, the issue of sustainability has gained momentum, and the question is becoming ‘when?’. For many people across the globe, the world cannot afford to have ‘environmental time bombs,’ such as tyre stockpiles, ticking around the world.
Luckily, the need to recycle waste tyres has been recognised by regulators worldwide for decades. In the EU, for example, there has been a ban on the disposal of both whole and shredded tyres to landfill for many years. The focus has initially been dedicated to passenger and truck tyres, but there should be a growing awareness of the need of address this problem in mining tyres.
Chile is at the forefront of this change and in January 2021, the extended producer responsibility scheme, known as ‘Ley REP 20.920’, was finally introduced to cover mining tyres as well. Hopefully, Peru will introduce a similar approach in the next few years, following the publication of Draft Supreme Decree on Management and Handling of End of Life Tires N° 210-2020-MINAM published in October 2020.

Why mining tyres?

The planet has over 6000 operating surface mines. These mines have been operating for an average of 23 years, and 20% have been working for more than 40 years. To operate efficiently, these surface mines utilise a wide range of equipment, such as dumpers, loaders, and other wheeled vehicles. On average, there are around 29 mining trucks per operation, revealing a staggering 175 000 mining trucks in operation.
This massive fleet of trucks is equipped with extra-large tyres, with rims of up to 63 in., weighing up to 6 t, and with an outer dia. of 4.1 m. A mining dumper is typically configured with six wheels to tackle the demanding operating conditions, and each of these tyres has an operating life of 5 – 10 months. Once these tyres can no longer be repaired or retreaded, they require disposal. This yields an estimated annual consumption of 1 million mining truck tyres, which equates to 5 million t of material to be managed. When extending this analysis to the wide-ranging fleet of mining vehicles, the obvious consequence is that it results in a substantial eco-liability for current and future generations.

Eco-liability

Some features of this eco-liability include:

• • It is concentrated in very specific places so that it can be efficiently tackled without the hurdle of backtracking an incredible amount of waste streams as it happens with waste passenger car tyres.
  • It is made by super-high-quality rubber that has been engineered with countless technological efforts to withstand very demanding
  • It is unacceptable to allow tons of waste tyre material sitting on a stockpile as a time bomb without putting it to a good use, such as for more sustainable
  • There are efficient technical means to convert a waste to a value that can be shared with local communities and encourage a circular economy.

Waste to value: a three-step approach towards the future

The first step in recycling a waste tyre is the downsizing process, whereby the tire is cut into multiple sections that can be processed by a traditional shredding line. Salvadori’s MT-Rex® system is a fully automated downsizing system that is capable of managing tyres of up to 63 in. rim dia. and provides a continuous flow of clean and standardised sized tyre chunks. MT-Rex can be operated by a single operator by means of a forklift, meaning no overhead crane is necessary. Whole off the road (OTR) tyres are loaded in the front-end, and pre-determined sized tyre chunks roll down a conveyor belt. Following downsizing, the shredding process takes place. In the shredding step, the waste tyres are separated into components: steel, textiles and granular rubber. The third and final step is converting granular rubber into coloured and moulded products.
These three steps of downsizing, shredding, and conversion close the loop of the circular economy and enable the transformation of waste to value. There are countless applications for products derived from recycled rubber crumb: from sound-absorbing sheathing to flood barriers, from sport surfaces to flooring systems and technical articles. All these applications are ‘future ready’ as they can be recycled again to create and be used in new products when they reach the end of their useful life. Moreover, they can be implemented very close to the source of the waste with obvious benefit to the local communities both at the environmental and social level.

A circular future of business

As demand for resources has grown exponentially in recent years, leaders and businesses have discussed circularity as a new model to manage resource limits while pursuing economic growth, but this thinking has largely remained ‘talk’ and is yet to be put into practice. Global leaders and businesses understand that the current ‘take-make-dispose model is pushing the environment closer to the breaking point; in fact, the world is still only 9% circular.
The new circular economy is one in which resources are kept in use for as long as possible, extracting the maximum value from them while in use, and then recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of each product’s service life. Developing a sustainable and circular economy is just part of a solution that can help address the challenges of rubber waste and improving environmental health.

The future generations

Everyone should be concerned about keeping the environment clean and taking the extra mile to preserve and improve what is left for the future generations to live in. This aligns with the United Nations development goals towards sustainable cities and communities,  a responsible consumption and production and a responsible climate action. Waste to value solutions in tyre recycling can play a key role in reaching these goals for both the local communities and the world’s ecosystem in general. With this approach, a mining operation can convert a high-risk eco-liability into a valuable resource, becoming more sustainable and playing an important role in the circular economy.

 

Have a look at this article on Global Mining Review by clicking the link below
Article Global Mining Review March 2021

 

Have a look at Global Mining Review magazine by clicking the link below

We are proudly announcing that US Patent Office recognized the innovation brought in by our MT-REX® – equipment to downsize giant OTR Tires. This achievement results from the contribution of almost everyone in Salvadori Recycling: congratulations!

MT-Rex® Tire Shear has been created to downsize tires up to a 63” diameter. The patent acknowledges Salvadori’s proprietary system, which positions the tires and the shearing mechanism to handle the extreme demands of downsizing OTR tires.

Asked what was the initial source of inspiration behind the MT-REX® concept, Samuel Salvadori, the inventor of MT-REX® says, “Simplicity was the key. Back in the day, there were very complex solutions trying to address the need of downsizing huge mining tires. My goal was to bring many components into a single machine and make the process simple and safe. This is how MT-REX® was born.”

Salvadori MT-REX® is the first fully automated system capable of managing tires up to 63” and provides a continuous flow of clean and standardized sized tire chunks. With a processing time of less than one hour for a 63” tire, when continuously operated, MT-REX® can downsize more than 7,000 tires per year and consistently feeds more than 35,000 tons per year of clean and regularly cut pieces to a traditional shredding line.

According to Andrea Pitto, Salvadori Sales Manager, “All Salvadori solutions focus on waste to value systems to enhance our clients’ business and bottom line. A mining operation can convert a high-risk eco-liability into a valuable resource while driving sustainability and playing an important role in the circular economy.”

Salvadori solutions help to drive this circular economy and align with parent company TRC’s 4r vision of repair, reuse, recycle and repurpose.

Best Tyre Recycling Industry Supplier: in recognition of the best supplier of goods, technology and equipment to the tyre recycling industry in terms of innovation, product quality and service.

The Recircle awards are a new global event designed to recognize the contributions of companies and individuals within the tyre manufacturing, retreading and recycling industries for their products and services which drive their respective industries and the global Circular Economy.

According to TRC Chairman & CEO Dan Layne, “All TRC companies are driven by our HILTI values (Honor, Intelligence, Leadership, Teamwork, Innovation) and our 4r vison (Repair, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose). Although we generally do not seek this type of recognition, we are flattered and proud to be recognized in this way by the industries we serve. I would personally like to acknowledge the contributions of all Recircle Award finalists and commend them for the important work they perform which protects our planet while fueling the circular economy”

The Recircle Awards are sponsored by Retreading Business, Tyre & Rubber Recycling and Autopromotec. There is a total of 20 awards covering a wide and balanced range of categories from across the tyre and tyre recycling industries.

Salvadori General Manager Luca Olcese stated,” At Salvadori we are driven by a very strong purpose: to help the world by turning waste into value through the innovative recycling solutions we envision and bring to life. We endeavor to create raving fans of our customers by delivering solutions that exceed our customer’s expectations. Salvadori’s team is grateful to be recognized by The Recircle Awards selection committee”.

The finalists were selected by a specially constituted Nominations Committee. The criteria for selecting the finalist was based on both the quality of the business cases presented by those submitting the nominations and the expert evaluation by the judging committee.

The 10-strong Nominations Committee members consist of the respective editors of Retreading Business and Tyre & Rubber Recycling plus 8 individuals from the global tyre retreading and recycling industries.

Voting is open to the general public now through March 5th, 2021.
Visit www.recircleawards.com to vote.