Over the last 15 years, the combination of material and energy recovery from ELTs increased from 31% to 78% of the total European used tyres (3.3 milion tonnes), while, in the same period, landfilling decreased to a gloomy 4% (compared to nearly 50% in 1996). ELTs are characterized by a calorific value equal to that of coal (even if they have a much higher sulfur content) and are mainly used, in various formats (per entire or as shreds, chips), in cement industries and power plants. Various technologies are also available for their recycling: mechanical grinding, cryogenic processes, electrothermal methods, pyrolysis, etc. Currently, the most advanced researches are aimed to find an effective way to get back the starting raw materials. Despite these interesting possibilities, however, the economic, environmental and health problems, related to the energy recovery of ELTs and, especially, to their potential reuse, in other processes to produce new materials, are still numerous. The aim of this paper is to examine these problems after having reviewed the different options available for tyres recovery by highlighting, for each of them, the main negative aspects yet to be resolved.
ELT (End-of-Life-Tyre): resource or trouble?
RUBERTI, Marcello;LEOCI, Benito
2012-01-01
Abstract
Over the last 15 years, the combination of material and energy recovery from ELTs increased from 31% to 78% of the total European used tyres (3.3 milion tonnes), while, in the same period, landfilling decreased to a gloomy 4% (compared to nearly 50% in 1996). ELTs are characterized by a calorific value equal to that of coal (even if they have a much higher sulfur content) and are mainly used, in various formats (per entire or as shreds, chips), in cement industries and power plants. Various technologies are also available for their recycling: mechanical grinding, cryogenic processes, electrothermal methods, pyrolysis, etc. Currently, the most advanced researches are aimed to find an effective way to get back the starting raw materials. Despite these interesting possibilities, however, the economic, environmental and health problems, related to the energy recovery of ELTs and, especially, to their potential reuse, in other processes to produce new materials, are still numerous. The aim of this paper is to examine these problems after having reviewed the different options available for tyres recovery by highlighting, for each of them, the main negative aspects yet to be resolved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
