Rubber and tyre recycling

Rubber recycling is an established practice with many global market participants involved. The market is currently worth EUR 2.9 billion. The outlook is positive on the short and medium term, with analysts expecting the sector to reach EUR 4.1 billion by 2030.

Tyres are one of the main products rubber recyclers process. This segment is expected to hit the EUR 7 billion mark around 2030. More than 3 billion tyres, mostly car tyres, are sold worldwide every year.

What are tyres made of?

Tyres may look a simple product, however, they contain a number of materials. Tyres are made from around 20% natural rubber, originally sourced from Heeva trees in Brazil. Today, the rubber is commonly sourced from India.

The rest of the product consists of synthetic polymers, steel, textiles, fillers, antioxidants, antiozonants, curing ingredients like sulfur and zinc oxide. Recycled rubber, also called carbon black, can be used for the production of new tyres.

What are tyres recycled into?

Other than new tyres, discarded tyres can be transformed into various consumer products and industrial products. Examples include:

• car mats
• rubber cement to construct new roads
• outdoor furniture
• playground flooring
• soundproof barriers
• sport pitches
• artworks

How do recyclers process tyres?

Tyres, depending on their size and design, are typically dismantled using cutting and shredding equipment. Resizing passenger car tyres is not a problem, though dealing with large off-the-road tyres can require special machinery. This is especially the case for mining tyres, which are easily over a metre wide.

The tyre is then sorted into different material fractions. Steel and rubber are the most valuable tyres recovered from tyres.

There are also chemical methods to treat end-of-life tyres. Such a process relies on pyrolysis to turn the rubber into a type of oil, which can be used as fuel.