Can Low-Temperature Conversion solve the waste tires problem?

A new problem of waste tires came into emergence with the increased means of transportation. Discarding or handling waste tires has now become a major problem all over the world.

One of the main problems in managing waste tires is that they are made of several chemicals and breaking them down results in chemicals and heavy metals leaching into the environment which includes carcinogenic and mutagenic. These chemicals can cause cancers in the human body and affect the environment badly.

To date, several new techniques are being used to manage waste tires and to reduce as much pollution as possible that is produced due to tires chemicals. Modern technological solutions like Low-Temperature Conversion are proved to be promising solutions that not just manage the waste tires effectively but also produce energy from wastes.

What is low-temperature conversion?

The Low-Temperature conversion was first developed in the 1980s by the researchers Bayer and Kutubuddin. It is a process that involves the thermochemical decomposition of waste at a temperature around 400°C (source) to generate noncondensable gasses and liquid products. Low-Temperature Conversion is commonly used today for the treatment of wastes like plastics and tires. This process converts the organic products into clean gasses like hydrogen providing an opportunity to have a clean source of energy while reducing the overall environmental pollution.

Why are waste tires such a big problem?

The problems linked to waste tires are not just limited to the negative effects of rubber. The increased use of transport vehicles results in increased waste tires making it hard to manage and control their effects on the environment.

Some of the major issues of waste tires are discussed below.

Leaching into the soil and underground water

One of the major waste tires problems is leaching. Tires are composed of several chemicals and heavy metals like chromium, lead, and mercury that leach into the atmosphere after the breaking down of tires. Carcinogenic and mutagenic are also some of those chemicals that are produced as a result of tire breakdown.

The leaching of waste tires greatly affects the soil under the old tires. The soil absorbs those chemicals and heavy metals from the tires and turns toxic. Moreover, leaching also results in the pollution of underground water. When mixed with soil water, chemicals present in water makes it harmful for animals as it becomes poisonous.

Toxic chemicals due to combustion

A common way to dispose of waste tires is to burn them up either in the open or in a controlled combustion system. Doing so produces a harmful number of chemicals in the air that can be dangerous for the environment.

Tires are capable of producing energy when heated. Moreover, burning tires is easy but controlling the fire fueled by tires is hard to control because they pose a fire threat around a wide range of areas. If the tires are not treated properly then they can be a subject of fire that could spread toxic chemicals like carcinogens into the atmosphere and even in destructive fires over a wide area.

Landfilling

Landfilling is a major problem of waste tires. Waste tires not only pollute the land but also take up a lot of land space if they are not treated and cause environmental pollution. Many states all around the world are tackling this problem by imposing bans on all tires whole or shredded from the landfills. Several studies show that the total global waste tire production is somewhere between 1 billion and 1.8 billion each year which is approximately 2–3% of all waste material collected (source).

Waste tires become a responsibility

Management and controlling of waste tires became an important aspect to reduce global pollution. Recycling tires is an efficient method to reduce and prevent this waste from spreading harmful chemicals into the environment. The recycling of waste tires is the responsibility of both the government and the people. Several recycling facilities are working on this purpose to make waste useful and cut out harmful chemicals from the world.

What are the possible solutions to the waste tires problem?

Waste tires pose a lot of harm in terms of air pollution, land pollution, and other environmental pollution. The reason is their durability and excess use. Nowadays, it has become a major problem for many countries so strong actions and solutions should be taken to reduce this rising problem.

Here are some of the possible solutions to the waste tires problems.

Recycling

Recycling has been the main solution when it comes to reutilizing scrap tires in many productive ways. Recycling tires is also known as rubber recycling involves recycling used tires that cannot be further used due to irreparable damage (source). Waste tires are one of the major and challenging problems among solid waste. The recycling process of tires is also difficult as it releases several toxic chemicals and heavy metals. The purpose of recycling the waste tires is to transform them into new useful products. It is a process for recycling tires that reach end-of-life and become very crucial due to increasing numbers and the rate at which waste tires are produced. Recycling prevents more tires from going into landfills.

There are three main recycling processes for waste tires.

• Mechanical grinding
• Cryogenic grinding
• Pyrolysis

Mechanical grinding

Mechanical grinding is a recycling process in which scrap tires break down at ambient temperature. The process involves a shredder that breaks the tires and then the granulator removes the steel and fibre from them. The efficiency of mechanical grinding mainly depends on the particles in the tires.

Cryogenic grinding

The cryogenic grinding process refers to the breaking down of waste tires at a temperature of almost -80°C with the help of refrigerants like liquid nitrogen. This process usually treats waste tires that are passed from the mechanical grinding to produce finer powdered rubber. The remains obtained after the process are known as rubber crumbs and are commonly used to prepare new tires or several other products.

Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is a newly introduced and more effective recycling process that involves the thermal decomposition of waste tires in the absence of oxygen. The scrap tires are heated at around 450–500 °C in this process. This process produces tire-derived fuel (TDF), synthetic gas, and char as a result of the treatment of tires that can be used in cement industries, power plants, and paper mills.

Safe Disposal

Disposal is always an easy approach to get rid of waste tires however, it poses several harmful threats to the environment. Stockpiled waste tires can be a perfect source for breeding pests including mosquitoes, vermin, and snakes. Moreover, waste tires are easily subjected to fires that can release toxic fumes for months. Therefore, it is important to make sure the disposal is safe. Landfilling became a major problem due to increasing numbers of waste tires production and is no longer a suitable solution. This is why recycling processes are used to reduce the overall mass and harmfulness of the tires to make them suitable for safe disposal.

Why is low-temperature conversion one of the best solutions for this problem?

Low-temperature conversion is a relatively new solution to the waste tires problems that is mainly a pyrolysis process. It is considered a favourable and efficient method due to its capability of producing energy while recycling scrap tires. It is also known as tertiary recycling. This process refers to the thermal decomposition of waste tires resulting in solid residue, liquid oil, and gases. The produced products are further processed to get pure hydrogen that can be a possible energy source in various sectors. The catalytic conversion in LTC causes an increase in the cracking rate of the tires, thus the production of gasses with high H2 content.

Low-Temperature Conversion is considered as one of the best solutions to waste tires because it can degrade waste tires into usable energy and make them less harmful reducing the overall environmental pollution.

What can people do to help with this problem? (invest in White Hydrogen Coin and support the projects)

The growing problem of waste tires needs attention and proper methods need to be followed to prevent environmental pollution caused by them. It is now the duty of both the government and people to tackle this problem with great care. The governments of several states all around the world should impose a ban on the unsafe disposal of waste tires and regulate the recycling process to reduce harmful emissions. People can also contribute to this noble cause by making sure that their waste is going into the right treatment process.

Various organizations like the WH2C are striving hard to make the environment clean and safe for humans. They are introducing advanced and efficient technologies that can help to remove unwanted or harmful waste from the planet while harnessing energy from them at the same time. The WH2C is a blockchain-based technology coalition started by motivated tech supporters. They focus on technologies like LTC to treat waste and extract white hydrogen that can be used as a clean fuel in several sectors. The community is open to all and anyone can participate in their revolutionary idea powered by blockchain by investing in the white hydrogen coin (WHC) and supporting various clean-future projects. The participants also get benefited by investing in the projects as white hydrogen allows you to fund projects of WH2C, exchange them on public exchanges or utilize the coin for purchases of the white hydrogen and electric energy via the White Hydrogen Platform. Investing in WHC makes you a member of the White Hydrogen Coalition.

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