Why burn or dump valuable raw materials?

3© 2010

A matter of life or death

It is a hard life. A tyre must be able to withstand the most extreme challenges and conditions. Temper- atures ranging from far below zero to the heat of the tropics. Bumps and bad roads. Bad drivers. And it must keep on performing safely and well for many years.A tyre explosion while the vehicle is overtaking at high speed may cost many lives, as tyre manufacturers are well aware. They invest huge sums in research to ensure the safe perfor mance of their tyres. And the lives of their customers.

Only the very best rubber, steel and textiles are usedConsequently, only the very best rubber, steel and textiles are used in tyre production. During the lifetime of a tyre, only a fraction of these high-quality raw materials are used up. There is still a great deal left when the customer leaves a set of used tyres at the repair shop. They are called scrap tyres, but they are not scrap. They could be rich source of high-quality raw materials only waiting to be recycled and used again.

Paradise for malaria mosquitoesObviously, dumping a tyre in the countryside or in a landfill is indefensible. Although this is still done in some countries of the world, most governments have banned the practice as it turned out to be uneconomical. It takes up space, causes a fire hazard and provides ideal breeding grounds for vermin and malaria mosquitoes. It was discovered that energy from scrap tyres could be recovered, e.g. co-incinerated in cement kilns. This was originally a very good idea compared to landfill and it has become quite widespread worldwide. But the quality of the raw materials is far too high to be wasted just for burning. Recycling will always be the best solution from an environmental point of view as well as economi-cally, provided that the recycled product is uniform and clean enough for the recycled rubber and steel to replace virgin materials. Examples can be seen in modified asphalt and bitumen and in artificial sports turf.

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The world’s largest tyre recycling company

1. 35,000-tonne plant, Viborg, Denmark, in operation since 1990. Capacity to be doubled to 70,000 tonnes by 2011 2. 65,000-tonne plant Oranienburg, Berlin, Germany, in operation since 2003 3. 70,000-tonne plant Dorsten, NRW, Germany, in operation since 2008 4. 70,000-tonne plant Mindelheim, Bavaria, Germany, 2010 5. 100,000-tonne plant First U.S. plant to be opened in Houston, Texas in 2011 Total capacity by 2011: 375,000 tonnes

67% rubber powder and granulate

18% steel

14% textile

Max. 1% waste

“True recycling requires processing at a level where the output substitutes virgin materials. Consequently this leads to avoided production and profound saving of resources.”

Genan is the largest recycler of scrap tyres in the world. There are plans to build more plants in the coming decade in order to realise the company’s vision of recycling 10% of all scrap tyres globally.

The output from a Genan plant consists of 67% rubber powder and granulate, 18% steel, 14% textile and maximum 1% waste, which primarily stems from impurities like sand and stone picked up by the tyres. More than 99% of the output is therefore put to good use.

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From waste management to resource managementCars are here to stay

Globally 13.5 million tonnes of scrap tyres are disposed of every year

Rest of the world 5.7 mill. tonnes USA

4.4 mill. tonnesEU 3.4 mill. tonnes

The Waste Hierarchy

Reduction

Retreading

Material recycling

Incineration

Land�ll

There was a time when a car was considered pure luxury. But as affluence increased in Europe and the USA, every family wanted a car. The market for cars is now beginning to level out in the old world, but is almost exploding in the new world, e.g. in countries like China and India. Here, as in Europe and the USA, the convenience and independence of car ownership is now the dream of any middle class family.This development cannot be stopped, but it must be handled with extreme caution and awareness of its impact on the environment. Car industry research and developmentThe car industry is investing huge sums of money in order to live up to its environmental responsibility.Important elements in this programme are engines designed for fuel efficiency and a high degree of recyclability in all components.

Tyre industry research and developmentThe leading tyre manufacturers of the world are likewise working intensely to improve the durability of a set of tyres to make them run for more kilometres. However, other factors are pulling in the opposite direction, such as increased focus on road safety and legislation prohibiting tyres that are too worn down. There will always be tyres that have to be scrapped – and increasing numbers of them. It is estimated that, on a global basis, 13.5 million tonnes of tyres are removed every year. These figures include all types of tyres, from passenger cars, trucks and lorries, or tyres from tractors and large earthmoving vehicles.

Used tyres dumped in the countryside or in a landfill are a depressing sight, but one that is found in many countries all over the world. Tyres take a long time to decompose, and when deposited as landfill they easily become breeding grounds for insects and vermin. Malaria and other diseases spread more easily and a landfill with a large number of tyres is a major fire hazard. For many years now the waste hierarchy has been a common standard for environmentalists and legislators in order to define best practices. The first EU directive banning tyres in landfill was implemented in 1999.The waste hierarchy was recently upheld, in Directive 2008/98.

For tyres, retreading is considered the best option. When a tyre is retreaded the core (the carcass) is reused and given a new rubber tread. However, retreading is only considered economical for truck tyres and larger tyres. In general it is not economical to retread car tyres.

True recycling requires processing at a level where the output substitutes virgin materialsNext in the waste hierarchy comes material recycling in the Genan way. The word “recycling” has been devalued over the years and is often used to refer to less environmentally beneficial solutions like filling operations and energy recovery. To qualify as true recycling, the quality of the output must be of a high enough quality to replace virgin raw materials. As a result, new production is avoided, leading to significant savings in resources. Incinerating scrap tyres is a waste of good raw materialsA step lower in the waste hierarchy comes incineration, or energy recovery as it often is called. Undoubtedly, this solution was once a step forward compared to landfill. But with the sophisticated technology that is available today, incineration should be a thing of the past.

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Life Cycle AssessmentThe Genan recycling concept represents substantial environmental and

economic gains compared to incineration and civil engineering applications

Executive summaries of the reports can be required from Genan

Recycling compared to civil engineering applications

Recycling compared to co-incineration

Greenhouse Gas Savings

Tonnes CO2 /tonnes tyre input

Unfortunately, not all scrapped tyres are recycled properly. Many are incinerated with other scrap in cement kilns or used as filling material in the socalled civil engineering ap plications where new raw materials are not generated.In recent years, highly respected scientists from IFEU in Heidelberg, Germany, the FORCE Institute and Copenhagen Resource Institute in Denmark have been making comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment studies comparing different routes for the disposal of scrap tyres. The studies have been performed strictly according to the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards with proper peer review by independent scientists. The results are overwhelmingly clear. Material recycling where the quality of the output rubber granulate is high enough to substitute virgin rubber in applications like asphalt and bitumen modification and artificial turf is significantly superior to incineration in cement kilns, and even more so when compared to the so-called civil engineering applications where the shredded tyres are used as filling material under roads or as the drainage layer in landfills.

Greenhouse gas reductionsAn enormous potential reduction in greenhouse gas can be achieved by switching from filling applications (civil engineering) and incineration to material recycling. Each year in the EU, 1.1 million tonnes of scrap tyres are incinerated in cement kilns. If these tyres were properly recycled instead, the CO2-savings would be more than 1.2 million tonnes.

Switching to tyre recycling is low-hanging fruit for climate actionGenan has commissioned a cost-benefit analysis from Deloitte to compare the Genan recycling concept with co-incineration of tyres in cement kilns. This comprehensive analysis clearly shows vast economic advantages of recycling the tyres. Futhermore, Deloitte has estimated that the global GHG reduction potential for recycling versus incineration amounts to 14.5 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents. Compared to the global reduction target of the whole industry sector this could contribute with 1% without any costs to public budgets.

Comparative life cycle assessment of two options for waste tyre treatment:

material recycling vs. co-incineration in cement kilns

Executive summary Executive summary

Comparative life cycle assessment of two options for waste tyre treatment:

material recycling versus civil engineering applications

A welfare economic analysis of material recycling versus

co-incineration of scrap tyres.

Executive Summary

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Imagination – the limiting factor!Artificial turf

Outstanding ball behaviour all year roundThe final breakthrough came for artificial turf with the introduction of third-generation technology in the latepart of the nineties. Previously, artificial turf was used widely on tennis courts and American football and baseball pitches, but because the ball behaved differently compared with natural turf, it was not yet considered suitable for high-level soccer. This changed with the introduction of third-generation technology using rubber granulate as infill which improved ball rebound and running characteristics.

It has lead to the complete acceptance by all the important football associations like FIFA and UEFA, and artificial turf is now officially recommended at

all levels, including the Champions League and the World Cup.Since 2000 the global market has grown more than 20% a year and annual growth in two-digit numbers is expected to continue.Rubber granulate from Genan can replace virgin rubbers like EPDM and TPE with even better properties and at considerable lower prices.Rubber granulate from Genan is used in the production of the elastic layer as well as infill. It is dust free, weather resistant and hard wearing.

Safe for health and the environmentRubber granulate infill from scrap tyres has been the subject of discussions and several environmental studies in different countries like the USA, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Denmark. The reports can be downloaded from the Genan website, www.genan.eu, but the conclusions are very clear: rubber granulate like Genan’s can be used without hesitation. Safer playgroundsWhen children play, they sometimes fall and get hurt. If it happens on a playground with Genan rubber granulate, injuries will be much less severe compared to harder surfaces like gravel or asphalt. To make playgrounds as safe as possible, standards have been set and surfaces must comply with them, e.g. EU standards EN 1176 and EN 1177. Rubber granulate from Genan meets these requirements.

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High quality steel from scrap tyres

SteelA strong and durable steel construction is essential in manufacturing new tyres, so the quality of the steel is never compromised. Genan technology includes an after-treatment of the steel fraction, which leaves it very pure and therefore extremely suitable for remelting in steel works.Genan steel complies with well-known market standards for recycled steel, e.g. the German “Stahlschrottpreise index Sorte 5”. TextilesCurrently the textile fraction is incinerated for energy recovery. However, research is being conducted to develop new applications as insulation in building materials.

New developmentsImagination is the limiting factor for the use of recycled rubber granulate! Among other applications can be mentioned:

• Noise and heat insulation in building materials• Technical rubber compounds• Rubber mats, traffic cones etc.• Flooring• PaintAnd many more are being developed. Genan collaborates with universities and institutes all over the world on product development of new applications and ways to use rubber granulate.Finally, the ultimate aim is to reuse the fine rubber powder in the production of new tyres, and Genan is conducting research together with the tyre industry in the hope of achieving this ultimate goal.

Modification of bitumen and asphaltNew road projects are making increasing use of asphalt and bitumen modification. It reduces maintenance considerably as the roads are less likely to crack and form ruts. In a country like Germany, approximately 25% of all bitumen for road construction is now modified. Until now, by far the most common method of modifying bitumen uses the virgin rubber material SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene). Clean and uniform rubber granulate from Genan mixed with Vestenamer, a polyoctenamer produced by Evonik, performs at least as well as the virgin material.

Genan markets this product under the Road+ trademark. It is quite crucial for product performance that the rubber used is clean and uniform in size. Genan has the technology to live up to these requirements. Bitumen modified with Road+ is sold by major contractors and oil companies like Shell among others. There is a huge market for road infrastructure, which is expected to grow rapidly in the years to come. Using a recycled product in the modification instead of a virgin material will not only save money, but also save greenhouse gases on the planet, as demonstrated in Genan’s Life Cycle Assessment studies.

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Don’t export used tyres from the rich to the poor!It is common practice that export of waste from rich countries to less developed countries is banned. Everybody agrees that it is unethical to export a waste problem to countries who do not have the technologies to cope with it. There is, however, a grey area where a scrap tyre that is not worn down completely can be used a little longer. In this case, the excuse for exporting used tyres to less developed countries is that the tyre is not waste but an item that can still be used. Large developed countries like the USA, Germany, Italy, the UK and France are exporting many of these so-called part-worn tyres to less developed countries all over the world. There are two major problems: a disproportionate part of the waste

problem is passed on to the receiving country that imports tyres with a very short lifetime but gets the full waste problem and very often does not have the technology to recycle properly. The waste tyres are therefore dumped in landfills where there is a high risk of e.g. mosquito breeding spreading dangerous diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Another major problem is traffic accidents as the tyres are often used much longer than recommended by the tyre manufacturer.The Genan stance on this issue is very clear: “Stop international movements of scrap tyres over long distances, no matter what purpose the tyres are to be used for. Recycling must be done locally or on a regional level”.

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Genan Business & Development A/S . Jegindøvej 16 . DK-8800 Viborg . Phone +45 87 28 30 00 . Fax +45 87 28 30 30Genan Gruppen GmbH . Birkenallee 80 . D-16515 Oranienburg . Phone +49(0)3301578-0 . Fax +49(0)3301578-150

www.genan.eu