Turn Tires into Energywith Tire Pyrolysis

Americans dispose ofabout 300 million worn-out tires each year.

Another Option• Fortunately, scrap tires are recyclable.• Through a process known as pyrolysis, scrap tires can be

broken down into their original components.• These components can be reused to manufacture other

products.

In the pyrolysis process,the whole or shredded tire is heated in a reactor vessel under an oxygen-free atmosphere.

The Tires• The minerals and carbon

that were part of the tire –about 40% by weight –are removed as a solid.

• The steel from the tire can be removed from the solid stream with magnets and can be recycled for reuse in industrial manufacturing.

Measuring the Benefits of Tire Pyrolysis

Recycling and Reuse• The resulting products can

be recycled for reuse.• The primary product of

tire pyrolysis is tire oil, which many industries utilize as fuel.

• Carbon black, another product of pyrolysis, has multiple uses, such as a chemical strengthener in rubber and as a coloring agent.

A 20-pound tire yieldsabout five to nine pounds of carbon, 1.5 to 2.5 gallons of fuel oil, more than 50,000 Btu of gas and around two to three pounds of scrap steel.

The pyrolysis operationdiverts waste from tires from landfills and prevents them from potentially harming the environment.

Vulcan Systems