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New Tire Fiber Study Sets Benchmark for Industry

Apr 24, 2015, 06:15 AM by Mark Carpenter

Results serve as a precursor to specifications

(Vancouver, BC) – At its annual Convention and Exposition today, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) released a study that looks at the viability of markets for tire fiber. Tire fiber is a byproduct of the tire recycling process and consists of high quality polyester, nylon and other types of fibers. The results of the study solidify current knowledge of the market while dictating the need and direction of industry specifications.

“For years tire recyclers have looked for innovative ways to find markets for the byproducts of the tire recycling process. As an example, recovered steel is now being sent to steel mills,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “Unfortunately, tire fiber has been a bigger challenge and there have been a number of barriers along the way. This study provides concrete information on where the industry stands today in terms of production and value. Now that tire recyclers know and understand the current state of the market, they can systematically develop opportunities to market this high quality fiber.”

Tire fiber is an important material used in the construction of vehicle tires to impart strength and durability to the tire. The fiber becomes a byproduct when tires at the end of their life are processed, and the recovered rubber and steel are recycled. Tire fiber is manufactured from high-quality polymer materials such as polyester, polyamide (nylon), and other types of resins.

Barriers to marketing tire fiber include lack of information related to the characteristics of tire fibers, type and concentration of contaminants, and a marketplace generally unfamiliar with tire fibers and their potential to compete with and serve as raw materials for various manufacturing industries.

Key findings of the study included:

  • Users or potential users of the material lack a standard set of specifications and applicable industry consensus standards are lacking;
  • Under assumed conditions, approximately 87,000 and 7,700 tons/year of the two more prevalent polymers, PET and PA, respectively, would be produced if all scrap vehicle rubber tires were to be processed for crumb rubber recovery and assuming no process losses and 100% yield of PET and PA.

“ISRI’s Tire Division will take the valuable information gained from this report and begin to develop scrap specifications for tire fiber,” concluded Wiener. “This will include determining the level of purity of the tire fiber and other characteristics to turn it into valuable feedstock.”

The study was conducted by CalRecovery, Inc., and funded by the Recycling Research Foundation, the research arm of ISRI.

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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)

 The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ReMA represents more than 1,600 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. For more information about ISRI, visit www.ISRI.org.