Title: Tyres: destination end

Authors: Aurelio Ramírez-Hernández; Jorge Conde-Acevedo

Addresses: University of Papaloapan, Tuxtepec Oaxaca, México ' University of Papaloapan, Tuxtepec Oaxaca, México

Abstract: Nowadays, the tyre is one of the essential materials for transportation, communication and development of societies. For this reason, a large quantity of tyres is produced each year, Due to use, tyres wear out and need to be replaced by new ones. One of the concerns of humanity is searching for applications for wasted tyres, since the vast majority of tyres are deposited in the streets or in inappropriate places, causing environmental and health problems. Some methods and alternatives that are focused on solving these problems have been systematically and effectively proposed. Between the proposed methods, those that are highlighted are thermal degradation, chemical degradation, recycling and usage of wasted tyres as energy sources, as food sources for some microorganisms and as material for cement manufacturing. This article reviews some general aspects of the tyre and the main methods of degradation and recycling of discarded tyres.

Keywords: tyre recycling; waste disposal; vulcanised rubber; environmental pollution; thermal degradation; chemical degradation; tyre reuse; burned tyres; energy sources; microorganisms; cement manufacturing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2013.054822

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2013 Vol.16 No.4, pp.279 - 289

Received: 26 Aug 2011
Accepted: 07 Mar 2012
Published online: 17 Sep 2014 *

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