Facing growing markets for recycled rubber, tire processors came together at ISRI’s fourth annual Tire Recycling Business Summit to discuss new opportunities and their continuing challenges.
BY LINDSAY HOLST
The energy at ISRI’s fourth annual Tire Recycling Business Summit, held outside Chicago Sept. 16-18, reflected the growth and enthusiasm of an industry invigorated by the expanding markets for recycled rubber. ISRI’s Scrap Tire Processors Chapter has grown 73 percent, adding 22 new member companies since last August, chapter leaders noted at a Sept. 16 chapter meeting. The summit drew more than 110 attendees who, in addition to the chapter meeting and dinner, enjoyed networking opportunities, a reception, a tabletop expo hall, and six education sessions that addressed recycled rubber markets, tire design, state regulation, and safety.
Making the Grade
Tire processors who receive mixed loads of whole tires must assess their potential for reuse: Should they sell them whole into the used tire export market or process them for a variety of other applications? Clearly defined sorting and classifying procedures can help ensure that tire processing facilities run smoothly, meet the needs of changing export markets, and maximize the value they get for their material, speakers said.
Tire processors should consider the used tire market before they feed a tire into the shredder, said Bill Cook of Wholesale Tire Co. (Clifton Forge, Va.). “You’re not saving the environment by grinding something up that can still be used in its proper use,” he said. The question is not always whether the tires can be used right off the yard, but whether they can be made safe for use on the road. “Just make sure you’re not repairing something that can’t be repaired,” Cook said.
To assess a passenger car tire’s reusability, recyclers say they focus on its tread: They check to see if it’s still high-quality, clean, and not cracked. Customer and employee education are essential
in this process, said Troy Hess, vice president of Mahantango Enterprises (Liverpool, Pa.), so that all parties involved “understand what you’re looking for and where it should go.” Some tires, such as those that are burned, simply can’t be reused in their original capacity, but they are excellent sources of shredded playground material, he said.
Quality control procedures in tire processing yards are not always glamorous, Hess said. Sorting out the “number-two” tires, which his operation uses for civil engineering applications and foundation drainage systems, requires lots of manual labor from employees who remove various contaminants that can hurt shredding systems, such as pieces of steel or wheel parts.
Many tire retailers and merchandisers don’t want to see used tires on the market, said Anne Evans of EER Ltd. (Hebron, Conn.). “That’s going to be the death of the used tire,” she said.
Export Issues
Used tire and casing exporters often find they also need to be used tire importers, Evans said. They have begun importing used tires from Europe, Japan, and South Korea to boost their offerings and better serve their customers, but the U.S. dollar’s decline has made importing expensive. The rising price of Chinese tires helps U.S. exporters somewhat, she said, but they still face freight costs that sometimes are higher than the customer charge.
Overseas buyers of used tires want to know the tires’ speed ratings, Evans said. U.S. exporters should educate their employees about overseas markets so that exported tires’ speed ratings align with international customers’ regulations. Buyers also must trust that the supplier knows what it is selling, she said. “It’s hard to develop this trust and relationship over the Internet,” she said. “The customer needs to see the supplier’s facility.” Ultimately, she added, “people with nice facilities get more money for their tires. … If you have a clean facility, you probably also have clean material.”
The Wal-Mart Perspective
Gary Vernon, senior environmental manager of environmental services for Wal-Mart Stores (Bentonville, Ark.), explained how tire recycling fits into Wal-Mart’s sustainable product goals. Wal-Mart is developing a closed-loop system of recycling that uses tires from its own tire centers “as well as the competition’s” as raw materials for products the company will use and sell in its clubs and stores, Vernon said.
The company is working with its store-planning group to install rubber mulch at all new store locations and to use it to replace wood mulch at its existing stores. Wal-Mart also is looking into other recycled rubber applications, including rubber mats, parking lot construction, absorbents, and molded products. Any recycled rubber product must be economical, and “customers have to want to buy it,” Vernon said. “We’re looking for items that will help drive demand. … We’re in a position to help the market.”
Wal-Mart is actively seeking companies that can improve the efficiency of hauling and processing scrap tires and manufacture products made with crumb rubber, Vernon said. He gave the example of the “Super Truck,” a custom-designed program that recycles scrap tires and plastic oil bottles by shredding them in a truck parked at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations.
Finding Uses for Fiber
Tire processors have long puzzled over what to do with the nonrubber byproducts of tire processing, namely tire wire and fiber. The steel tire wire, which according to ReMA specifications can contain up to 2 percent rubber, can be used in rebar mills and civil engineering applications, but tire fiber remains a challenge. The material has low density, poor flow characteristics, and a high dust content. Because markets for the material can be scarce, tire processors tend to accumulate mounds of fluff that take up space and pose a fire risk.
The markets for tire fiber are still developing, said Dale Laurin of Envirosure Solutions (Phoenix). Markets for the material as an additive include nylon, fiberglass, mono-filaments, and polyaramid belts. Edgardo Velazquez of Rubber Recy-cling and Manufacturing (Caguas, Puerto Rico) reported finding substantial demand for the material for insulation mats, equestrian surfaces, carpet cushions, and furniture padding, among other products.
Further, tire fiber has excellent absorbent characteristics, Velazquez said, making it popular in applications for cleaning up petroleum and other chemical spills. It’s even becoming a popular sludge additive at water treatment plants, he said. “Before a treatment plant can landfill its sludge, it must first solidify it,” Velazquez said. “Right now they’re using soil, which they have to pay for,” but some plants are experimenting with tire fiber instead. The facilities are still trying to figure out the right quantity of fiber to add to their waste, Velazquez noted.
A new approach is to pelletize the fluff. Robert Trimbee of Amandus Kahl (Tempe, Ariz.) described his company’s Kahl Fiber Pelletizing System: It discharges fiber out of a holding bin and onto a dosing belt, which feeds it into a pellet press, then onto a belt cooler. The system produces free-flowing pellets 6 mm to 8 mm long suitable for fuel markets, with a caloric value of 30 to 35 MJ/kg. The system releases no waste and densifies all of its input, Trimbee said.
Tire Design for Recycling
Tire processors continue to struggle with new tire materials that can make the tires less recyclable or damage tire recycling equipment. New Kevlar-reinforced tires can quickly dull shredder blades, for example, and new “run-flat” passenger tires contain materials that can gum up tire processing machinery, processors said.
Mark Rannie of Emanuel Tire Co. (Baltimore) described the problems he’s seen with recycling “enhanced casement design” tires, which have a polyaramid belt above the steel belts in the tire. The polyaramid belt is difficult to aspirate out in a tire recycling process, he said, so processors have begun “culling ECD tires from their flow.” Processors estimated that they would need more than $1 million in additional equipment to solve the ECD problem on their own.
Rannie asked for an open dialogue between scrap processors and manufacturers so that they can work together to create tires that improve both safety and endurance and end-of-life recycling. Referring to tire recycling as a “volatile industry struggling to show profitability,” Rannie said it would be useful to at least have “a heads-up from tire and rubber manufacturers what they’re planning on doing ahead of time,” so tire processors could respond accordingly.
Cooperation with recyclers is not high on the agenda of tire manufacturers, however. “The tire manufacturing industry must consider tire safety, durability, and performance before any postconsumer issues,” declared Tom Wood, who oversees environmental affairs at Cooper Tire (Findlay, Ohio) and serves on the environmental committee of the Rubber Manufacturers Association (Washington, D.C.). The RMA has agreed to provide tire recyclers with information regarding tire design, he said, but “safety will remain critical” in determining tire design.
Tire construction is continually changing due to government and customer requirements, Wood said. Passenger tires are getting lighter and more durable; truck tires are getting heavier and more durable; and commercial tires are likely to use more steel in the future. “Markets have not responded as expected” to the run-flat tires that have concerned processors, he noted.
Wood was not optimistic about the use of radio frequency identification, which tire processors hope manufacturers will use to identify tires that contain materials that might harm shredders. RFID computer chip technology is “not likely to be widespread,” he said.
State-Level Regulation
Tire processors should get directly involved with legislative and regulatory efforts in their state to get their voices heard, according to panelists who addressed the wide state-to-state variation in tire-related regulation.
When meeting with legislators and other government officials, tire processors should bring data on their operations, such as the quantity and type of material they process annually, said Allan Lassiter, a manager in the Vir-ginia Department of Environmental Quality. “States really need this information to know where we’re at,” he said. Lassiter also asked tire recyclers to suggest solutions instead of simply telling regulators “what not to do.”
Virginia currently has 160 tire piles containing 2.5 million tires, Lassiter said. His department struggles to control “midnight dumpers,” he stated, and he asked processors to help him change a state law that prohibits the department from regulating haulers.
Max Daughtrey of Four D Corp. (Duncan, Okla.) explained how he has learned the value of state-level involvement. “When I first got into this business, I didn’t think much about politics,” he said. “Now, I have my very own lobbyist.”
In 1998, Oklahoma’s Waste Tire Recycling Fund had $6 million, Daughtrey said. Then the “governor changed the law so that the state could take any ‘excess funds,’” which depleted the fund by more than $4.6 million. Further, the Oklahoma state legislature passed a bill that allowed the burning of tires, which “made everyone happy but the crumb guys,” said Daughtrey, whose facility primarily produces crumb rubber.
Daughtrey’s presentation prompted processors in the audience to speak up about issues they’re facing in their own states. In California, “one of the biggest battles we’re going to fight is the differentiation between shredded and whole tire piles,” said Karen Barstow of Golden By-Products (Ballico, Calif.). Jerry Woosley of State Rubber and Environmental Solutions (Denver City, Texas) described his and other processors’ efforts to help make New Mexico friendlier for tire processors, such as State Senate Bill 142, which passed in 2005 and allowed the state to invest in a broader variety of recycling programs. “Everyone who attended the meetings [regarding the bill] could make suggestions,” he said. “We were really pleased that the tire rules actually went into effect.”
Tire processors can give legislators ISRI’s Recommended Guidelines for State Legislators Regarding Scrap Tire Management as a tool they can use to better understand the tire processors’ position, Woosley said. He called the guidelines simply “what we think is the best way to govern what we do.”
Preventing Tire Fires
A panel of safety and insurance experts turned the tables on the summit’s attendees, asking them for input on the causes, warning signs, and prevention of tire fires. Jerry Swensen of Auburndale Recycling Center (Auburndale, Wis.) pointed out the negative attention such fires create, in addition to the obvious risk to people and property. “A fire in our industry is immediately on CNN,” he said. “It’s everywhere in five minutes.”
Heat buildup in piles of shredded tires was one concern. Attendees described many ways of assessing whether piled material was reaching dangerous heat levels. They largely rejected the idea of using temperature probes or other measuring devices, saying they can see and smell the reaction of overheated material immediately.
In piles of 3/4-inch or smaller material, “no matter what, you’re going to have heat rise to the surface,” said Mahantango’s Hess. “Unless you can see vapors rising, there’s typically not an issue. sIf you do have the vapors, you need to get the heat out to eliminate the problem.” Processors said they “get the heat out” by moving the material around, allowing air to circulate within the pile.
When pressed to place an exact temperature on the likely ignition point of a tire pile, processors agreed that any temperature exceeding 200 degrees F is cause for concern. This is far below rubber’s 600-degree ignition point, they said, because of the fiber content of shredded tires.
Tire pile management is one of the first subjects of the draft Recommended Fire Safety Practices for Scrap Tire Processors, which the chapter leadership unveiled at the session. “When it comes to fires, some people think that heat generated from grinders and crackers is the issue, others think lighting, others think it’s piles of tire chips,” Swensen said. In developing the recommendations, he said, “we decided to start at the front with the whole tire piles and work from there” instead of “skipping around” the facility.
Everyone agreed on the need for tire processors to educate and work with their local fire departments to ensure that they know how to handle an emergency at their facility. “My bet is that most fire departments don’t know how to fight tire fires,” said Four D’s Daughtrey. “They will let your plant burn down if you don’t tell them how to do it right.”
Equipment Safety and Maintenance
Equipment maintenance protects all a company’s assets, human as well as machinery, said Richard Colyar of Columbus McKinnon Corp. (Sarasota, Fla.). A yard must focus as much on protecting its personnel—including direct employees, contract labor, and outside personnel—as its equipment, he said. Whenever they perform machine maintenance, tire processors also should use that time to perform safety audits, review equipment guarding and lock-out/tag-out procedures, and make sure all employees are familiar with the locations of safety and emergency stop switches on all equipment, he said.
Colyar also emphasized the importance of following manufacturers’ equipment guidelines, such as installing equipment in a location that is easy for employees to access and maintain. Yards must regularly inventory spare parts, too, to ensure they have the necessary equipment on hand should something break, he said.
A theme throughout the summit was the emphasis on everyday housekeeping vigilance and regular equipment inspection. These practices help a yard avoid constant reactive maintenance work. Mark Ridall of Wendt Corp. (Tonawanda, N.Y.) noted a December 2003 safety survey by IDCON (Raleigh, N.C.) that revealed that more than 60 percent of all safety incidents occurred when a maintenance job was executed as “reactive,” which he defined as “any work that was scheduled less than 20 hours before it was performed.” He particularly stressed the importance of preventive maintenance, addressing such misconceptions as its high cost and the idea that only an operation’s maintenance team is responsible for it.
Tire Chapter Honors Two recyclers
ISRI’s Scrap Tire Processors Chapter surprised Bill Vincent, CEO of Colt, at the Tire Recycling Business Summit with the chapter’s first Service to Industry Award. The award honored Vincent—pictured below center with his son, Kip, and daughter-in-law, Sydney—for his 44 years as an entrepreneur in the tire processing industry. The chapter also surprised its outgoing president, Troy Hess of Mahantango Enterprises, with a framed copy of the profile article of his company that ran in the September/October issue of Scrap. Hess, bottom right, received the award from incoming chapter president Jerry Swensen of Auburndale Recycling Center.
Thanks to Our Exhibitors and Sponsors
ReMA thanks the following companies for being exhibitors and/or sponsors of its fourth annual Tire Recycling Business Summit. We appreciate your support:
Amandus Kahl
Artech Reduction Technologies
Bi-Metal Corp.
Columbus McKinnon Corp.*
Eldan
Flamex
Granutech-Saturn Systems Corp.*
RecycleGuard Insurance Program
Scrap Tire News
Wendt Corp.
*denotes firms that were sponsors and exhibitors
Lindsay Holst is assistant editor of Scrap.