Rubber Waste Recycling – How It’s Done

Rubber is a widely used material in the production of various products across industries such as automotive, construction, agriculture and healthcare. Recycled rubber provides innovative ways to reduce waste and contributes to lowering a product’s total carbon footprint.

What Is Rubber Recycling?

Rubber products are non-biodegradable and their disposal can harm the environment. Recycling is the most effective method of eliminating polymer waste. Unlike incineration (except in specialist facilities) and landfill disposal, recycling does not produce harmful gases or pollute groundwater resources.

Rubber recycling is the process of converting synthetic rubber (e.g. EPDM, SBR) and natural rubber into reusable raw materials. It plays a crucial role in sustainable environmental development.

In a typical recycling process, rubber waste is collected, shredded, sorted and devulcanised to transform it into a new raw material.

Benefits of Rubber Recycling

Rubber is a highly versatile material used to manufacture products such as car tyres, seals, rubber mats and shoe soles. Below are the key environmental and economic benefits of rubber material recovery:

Reduces Landfill Waste

Rubber recycling helps reduce illegal tyre dumping, which is especially harmful to areas near lakes and rivers. It also saves valuable space in landfills, where millions of tonnes of rubbish are deposited each year.

Environmental Protection

By lowering the demand for virgin rubber, recycling reduces the energy needed for production and significantly cuts greenhouse gas emissions. Less waste means more effective preservation of natural resources.

Creation of New Products

Recycled rubber granulate can be used in many applications. Discover the wide range of uses for this eco-friendly material later in this article.

Rubber Recycling – Step by Step

Waste Collection

Rubber waste such as used tyres is collected from households and landfill sites. Many recycling companies in the UK specialise in handling post-consumer rubber waste. Service prices vary depending on waste volume.

Rubber Shredding

This step involves cleaning used tyres and other rubber items and reducing their size. The rubber is then placed in a shredder (granulator) where it is processed into a powder form.

Sorting

Depending on the end market, the shredded material may go through additional cleaning to remove contaminants like fabric reinforcements and steel wire. The goal is to achieve a fine rubber powder.

Magnets are used to remove steel fibres, while textile fibres are separated using vibrating and air classifiers, as well as vacuum systems.

Devulcanisation

Devulcanisation is a process that reverses vulcanisation (the hardening process). It maintains the insulation and elasticity properties of rubber while converting waste into reusable raw material.

Other Rubber Recycling Methods

Cryogenic Recycling

Cryogenic recycling involves freezing rubber with liquid nitrogen. The frozen rubber is then ground in specialised mills into fine particles. The resulting rubber granulate is suitable for manufacturing new products.

Pyrolysis

This is a thermal decomposition process carried out in an oxygen-free environment. Heating rubber waste in a reactor breaks down the polymers into smaller components such as oil, gas and carbon black. Pyrolysis does not cause combustion or release toxic fumes. The extracted oil can be used in industries like chemical manufacturing and metallurgy.

The Finished Granulate

The recovered rubber powder is added to rubber mixtures to produce new products. These raw materials are high-quality and available in bulk quantities at Power Rubber!

Uses for Recycled Rubber Products

Recycled rubber can be repurposed for various applications. Examples include:

• Playground safety tiles

• Anti-slip mats

• Car mats and interior linings

• Floor coverings

• Road surfaces

• Gardening tools

• Speed bumps

• Machine vibration pads

• Railway sleepers

• Artificial sports field surfacing

• Asphalt road additives

• Rubber seals

Recycling plants often collect large volumes of rubber waste and process it into alternative fuels, rubber additives, oil or industrial-grade carbon black.

Why Rubber Recycling Matters

Recycling rubber is increasingly important as a sustainable way to protect the environment and preserve natural resources.

The Challenge of Rubber Waste Disposal

Why is rubber waste so difficult to recycle? Rubber is known for its durability, and vulcanised rubber is often a compound of different rubber types. Large stockpiles of used rubber pose serious risks, including fire hazards and the spread of bacteria or disease due to water accumulation.

Maintaining rubber properties during the devulcanisation process is a major challenge due to the high heat and chemical agents involved. Fortunately, innovations in tyre and rubber recycling – particularly devulcanisation and pyrolysis – have made the process much more efficient.

Numerous UK-based companies now offer professional recycling and rubber waste transport services, all with the required certifications and authorisations.

At Power Rubber, we offer a wide range of products made from recycled rubber.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by phone on +48 22 292 40 24 or +48 50 516 03 03, or via email at Power@PowerRubber.com or through our contact form.