CRUMB RUBBER FEASIBILITY REPORT

Prepared f o r :
Cumberland County Clean Community Committee
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Prepared by:
Self-Reliance, Inc.
2425 18th Street, NW
Washington, D.C.
20009
(202) 232-4108

November 1985

This report was funded in part by a grant from the

North Carolina "Pollution Prevention Payan Program.

Self-Reliance, Inc. I s the consulting arm of the Institute

for Local Self-Reliance ( I L S R ) .
Since 1974, I L S R , a research and
educational organization, has provided technical information and
assistance to city, county, and state governments, and citizen and
neighborhood organizations.
ILSR focuses on energy and waste
utilization from a common sense economic development perspective.
ILSR works exclusively in urban areas. Current ILSR projects are
located in Chester and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Saint Paul,
Minnesota; Newark, Trenton, and Edison, New Jersey; Cleveland,
Ohio; Fayettevllle, Charlotte, Durham, and Asheville, North
Carolina; Providence, Rhode Island; Boston, Cape Cod, and New
Bedford, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut; Washington, D.C.;
East St. Louis, Illinois; and Gainesville, Florida.

Staff of the Institute f o r Local Self-Reliance:

Co-directors:

Energy and Economic Development

David Morris, Ph.D.
John Plunkett
Jack Gleason, M.S.

David Morris, Ph.D.

Neil Seldman, Ph.D.
Waste Utilization/Economic
Development
Neil Seldman,
Ken Woodruff,
Rick Anthony,
Don Huisingh,
Larry Martin

Ph.D.
M.E.
M.A.

Ph.D.

Administration
David Bardagl'io
Jan Simpson

Institute f o r Local Self-Reliance

2425 18th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 232-4108

C O P Y R I G H T
P o l l u t i o n P r e v e n t i o n Pays Program
N o r t h C a r o l i n a D e p a r t m e n t of N a t u r a l Resources a n d Community D e v e l o p m e n t
. J a n u a r y 1988

THE POLLUTION PREVENTlON PROGRAM

The Pollution Prevention Program provides free technical assistance to
North Carolina industries and municipalities on ways to reduce, recycle
and prevent wastes before they become pollutants. This non-regulatory
program, located in the Division of Environmental Management, addresses
water and air quality, toxic materials, and solid and hazardous waste.
Designated as the lead agency in waste reduction, the Program works in
cooperation with the Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch and
the Governors Waste Management Board. The services and assistance
available fall into the following categories:
Information Clearinghouse. An information data base provides access to
literature sources, contacts, and case studies on waste reduction
Information is
techniques for specific industries or waste streams.
also available through customized computer literature searches. Waste
reduction reports published by the Program are also available.
Specific Information Packages.
The staff can prepare facility or
waste-stream-specific waste reduction reports for industries and
communities. Information provided by the facility is used to identify
cost-effective waste reduction options. A short report detailing these
options is provided along with references, case studies, and contacts.
On-site Technical Assistance.
The staff can provide comprehensive
technical assistance through facility visits. During an on-site visit,
detailed process and waste stream information is collected.
The
information is analyzed, and a series of waste reduction options are
identified. A report is prepared detailing these options and includes
literature, contacts, case studies, and vendor information.
Outreach. The staff can give presentations on pollution prevention to
industries, trade associations, professional organizations, and citizen
groups.
Depending on the audience, these programs range from an
overview of the States Pollution Prevention Program to in-depth
discussions of technologies for specific industries.
Challenge Grants. A matching grant program provides funds for the cost
of personnel, materials, or consultants needed to undertake pollution
prevention projects.
Projects eligible for grant funds range from
characterizing waste streams in order to identify pollution reduction
techniques to conducting in-plant and pilot-scale studies of reduction
technologies.
For information or technical assistance contact:
Pollution Prevention Program
Division of Environmental Management
N.C. Department of Natural Resources & Community Development
Post Office Box 27687
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611-7687
Telephone:

919/733-7015

The Cumberland County Clean Community Committee was assisted on

the local level by the Cumberland County Clean Community
Committee Recycling Committee. Membership shown below:
RECYCLING COMMITTEE
Michael Green, Cohen

&

Green Salvage Company, Chairman

Dan Stryk, Kelly Springfield Tire Company

Bill Crowell, Crowell Construction Company
Jimmie Jones, Fayetteville City Council
Clark Dill, Fayetteville City Sanitation Department
Larry Carter, Cumberland County Landfill
Gene Haas, Haas Landscaping Company
Bob Stanger, Cumberland County Joint Planning Board
Ethel Teague, Cumberland County Sheltered Workshop
Bob Bennett, Fayetteville Engineering Division
William Cain, Defense Property Disposal Office, Fort Bragg, North
Carolina
Page Renfrow, Fayetteville City Sanitation Department
John Bittle, Cumberland County Landfill
Naoma Ellison, Chairman, Cumberland County Clean Community
Committee (ex officio)
Sharon Valentine, Coordinator, Cumberland County Clean Community
Committee (ex officio)
Wanda Jones, Assistant Coordinator, Cumberland County Clean
community Committee (ex officio)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

.. ....
Background on Project . .
.

I.

Executive Summary

11.

.
.

111.

Overview of Discarded Tire Problem

IV.

Recommended Development Plan Outline

1
4

7
12

APPENDICES

A.
B.
C.
D.

E.
F.

County and City Populations in

the 100- to 150-Mile Supply Area

...
Characteristics of Tires:
Composition and Chemistry . . . . . . .
An Overview of the Tire
Recycling Process . . . . . . . . . . .
End-Use Options and Market
Assessment . . . . . .
.... ..
Potential Uses f o r Discarded Tires . .
The Intenco Model . . . . . .
. i
Citations and Bibliography . . .
..
Contact List . . . . .
.. . .

14
18
20

54

70

104

G.

H.

I06
109

'I.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Cumberland County s u p p l y r e g i o n g e n e r a t e s a p p r o x i m a t e l y

58,000 t o n s o f scrap t i r e s each y e a r , e q u i v a l e n t t o 45,000 t o n s o f
r u b b e r a f t e r p r o c e s s i n g . Approximately 8,000 t o n s p e r y e a r are i n
c o n c e n t r a t e d l o c a t i o n s and can be e a s i l y c o l l e c t e d . The c o s t s of
c o l l e c t i o n f o r t h e remainder v a r y s i g n i f i c a n t l y .
An estimated 20
p e r c e n t w i l l be skimmed b y t h e used- and r e t r e a d - t i r e i n d u s t r y .
Approximately 80 p e r c e n t o f t h e remainder, or 37,000 t o n s p e r
year, i s a v a i l a b l e f o r p r o c e s s i n g .
Given current markets,
e c o n o m i c a l l y f e a s i b l e p r o c e s s e s (ambient t e c h n o l o g y ) can r e p r o c e s s
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 65 t o 75 p e r c e n t o f t h e 37,000 t o n s i n t o a
marketable p r o d u c t .
A processing p l a n t s i z e d f o r t h i s supply
would p r o c e s s 120 t o n s per d a y , a v i a b l e p l a n t by i n d u s t r y

standards.
The end u s e s f o r whole t i r e s c o n s t i t u t e a n e g l i g i b l e market,
a s i d e from t h e retreader market.
Crumbed r u b b e r i s t h e major
i n t e r m e d i a t e p r o d u c t from scrap t i r e s . Given crumb r u b b e r market
development e f f o r t s , there are p o t e n t i a l l y l a r g e o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n
North C a r o l i n a .
T h e three major p o t e n t i a l markets f o r crumb r u b b e r are as a
f u e l , as a n a d d i t i v e f o r a s p h a l t , and as a raw material f o r manuf a c t u r i n g rubber products.

Assuming a o n e - p e r c e n t , by w e i g h t , a d d i t i o n o f r u b b e r t o a l l
r e s u r f a c e d and new r o a d s , t h e maximum a n n u a l demand . for crumb
rubber as an a d d i t i v e for a s p h a l t i n North Carolina 'is 52,000
tons.
The total demand in North C a r o l i n a for crumb r u b b e r as a
f u e l i s a b o u t 70,000 t o n s per y e a r , assuming a 10 p e r c e n t r u b b e r
c h i p mix w i t h hog f u e l i n 100 p e r c e n t o f t h e h o g - f u e l e d b o i l e r s i n
the state.
(Hog f u e l i s a m i x t u r e o f waste wood a n d y a r d
c l i p p i n g s t h a t i s chipped w i t h a flHogll g r i n d e r . ) (See Appendix E . )
The demand f o r crumb r u b b e r a s a raw material f o r m a n u f a c t u r i n g
r u b b e r p r o d u c t s is as y e t u n d e t e r m i n e d , pending t h e l o c a t i o n of a
firm i n t h e r e g i o n .
Crumb r u b b e r i s m a r g i n a l l y economical f o r t h e f i r s t two
a p p l i c a t i o n s under c u r r e n t c o n d i t i o n s . P r o d u c t i o n c o s t s f o r crumb
r u b b e r as f u e l are a b o u t 2 c e n t s per pound, w h i l e t h e c o m p e t i t i v e
p r i c e i s 2 t o 3 c e n t s p e r pound.
A significant penetration into
t h i s market is p o s s i b l e i f scrap r u b b e r p r o c e s s o r s c a n take
a d v a n t a g e of f a v o r a b l e tax credits.

A rubber-asphalt mixture is competitive w i t h conventional

a s p h a l t a t a d e l i v e r e d c o s t o f a b o u t 8.5 cents p e r pound.
P r o d u c t i o n c o s t s f o r crumb r u b b e r for t h i s u s e are 6 t o 9 cents

p e r pound. P e n e t r a t i o n i n t o t h i s p o t e n t i a l l y large market depends

I n i t i a l research i n d i c a t e s
on t h e m i x t u r e ' s d u r a b i l i t y .
r u b b e r i z e d a s p h a l t has twice t h e l i f e e x p e c t a n c y o f n o n r u b b e r i z e d
asphalt.
If it i s i n d e e d proven and accepted t h a t r u b b e r i z e d
a s p h a l t h a s twice t h e l i f e o f normal a s p h a l t , t h e n t h e market
p r i c e o f r u b b e r i z e d a s p h a l t may r i s e s i g n i f i c a n t l y above t h a t of
c o n v e n t i o n a l a s p h a l t and t h e p r o d u c t i o n c o s t s f o r crumb r u b b e r .
T h i s would make r u b b e r i z e d a s p h a l t a n a t t r a c t i v e p r o d u c t .
Annually, a p p r o x i m a t e l y 175,000 t o n s o f crumb r u b b e r are used
However, t h i s p o t e n t i a l l y
n a t i o n w i d e i n making r u b b e r p r o d u c t s .
v a s t market has been l i m i t e d b e c a u s e o n l y a small p o r t i o n of t h e
t i r e has been u s e d . A new, p a t e n t e d p r o c e s s by a Minnesota firm,
T i r e c y c l e , ( s e e Appendix E ) may make p o s s i b l e t h e u s e of t h e
e n t i r e t i r e f o r t h e rubber p r o d u c t s market.

I n North C a r o l i n a , a key b a r r i e r t o u s i n g t i r e s as a raw

material i s t h e r e l a t i v e ease w i t h which t h e y s t i l l can be
discarded.
R a i s i n g t h e c o s t s of d i s p o s a l , by e i t h e r i n c r e a s i n g
l a n d f i l l t i p p i n g fees f o r t i r e s o r b a n n i n g t h e m from l a n d f i l l s ,
w i l l a l l o w t i r e p r o c e s s o r s t o charge a f e e f o r t i r e d i s p o s a l a t
the processing f a c i l i t y .
T h i s , i n t u r n , w i l l a l l o w them t o be
c o m p e t i t i v e i n t h e major end-use markets.
F a y e t t e v i l l e and o t h e r c i t i e s are a l r e a d y u s i n g a crumbr u b b e r m i x f o r p o t h o l e and crack r e p a i r w i t h good r e s u l t s .
The
N o r t h C a r o l i n a Department of T r a n s p o r t a t i o n (DOT)
reports
f a v o r a b l e r e s u l t s from a c o n t r o l l e d research e x p e r i m e n t on Route
4 0 i n Howard County. The a d o p t i o n o f s t a n d a r d s and spe i f i c a t i o n s
f o r t h e u s e of crumb r u b b e r in a s p h a l t i s o f c r u c i a l i m o r t a n c e i n
o p e n i n g up a large i n t e r n a l market.
,

S t u d y area p o p u l a t i o n
figures,
technical
information,
h i s t o r i c a l r e v i e w , and f i n a n c i a l d a t a on t h e r e c y c l i n g and
r e c o v e r i n g o f t i r e s are c o n t a i n e d i n t h e a p p e n d i c e s of t h i s
report.
Self-Reliance,
Inc. (SRI) recommends t h a t t h e Cumberland
County Clean Community Committee (CCCCC), working w i t h l o c a l
i n v e s t o r s , assess i n d e t a i l t h e markets f o r crumb r u b b e r as hog
f u e l a n d a s an a s p h a l t a d d i t i v e , and t h a t it more f u l l y
i n v e s t i g a t e the p o t e n t i a l of the Tirecycle process.
SRI a l s o
recommends t h a t CCCCC work w i t h t h e c o u n t y t o r a i s e t h e d i s p o s a l
c o s t of t i r e s a t e x i s t i n g l a n d f i l l s and t h a t it encourage t h e
s t a t e t o a d o p t s t a n d a r d s and s p e c i f i c a t i o n s f o r t h e u s e of crumb
rubber i n asphalt.
A d d i t i o n a l l y , a s i t e - s p e c i f i c assessment of
t h e p y r o l y s i s t e c h n o l o g y s h o u l d be u n d e r t a k e n .
The p y r o l y s i s
t e c h n o l o g y may u s e t h e estimated 25 t o 35 p e r c e n t o f t h e s c r a p
t i r e t h a t w i l l n o t be marketable.

I n combination, t h e s e s t e p s would i d e n t i f y site-specific

investment needs and h e l p c r e a t e t h e supply and demand r e q u i s i t e s
for an economically v i a b l e crumb rubber e n t e r p r i s e .

11.

BACKGROUND ON PROJECT

This study investigated the f e a s i b i l i t y of s i t i n g a scrap

t i r e processing f a c i l i t y i n F a y e t t e v i l l e , North Carolina.
The
o b j e c t i v e s o f t h i s s t u d y were:

t o assess t h e economic v i a b i l i t y of t h e t i r e r e c y c l i n g
r e p r o c e s s i n g i n d u s t r y f o r t h e Cumberland County r e g i o n

t o d e t e r m i n e t h e s o u r c e s , q u a n t i t i e s , and a v a i l a b i l i t y of
s u p p l y w i t h i n a s p e c i f i c r a d i u s of t h e proposed f a c i l i t y ,
and t o assess t h e c o l l e c t i o n network

t o detail the technological options

p r o d u c t i o n and r e s p e c t i v e c o s t s

t o assess t h e p o t e n t i a l markets f o r p r o c e s s e d , discarded

t i r e products

for

crumb

rubber

assessments
of
tire
recycling
Previous
feasibility
performed by SRI and o t h e r s i n d i c a t e t h a t p r o c e s s i n g t i r e s i n t o
crumb r u b b e r i s t h e most p r o m i s i n g o p t i o n f o r t h e s u c c e s s f u l
marketing of p r o d u c t s d e r i v e d from discarded t i r e s .
Crumb r u b b e r
o f f e r s a wide v a r i e t y of o p t i o n s i n market c h o i c e s . Depending on
t h e s i z e o f t h e crumb, or c h i p , it may be s o l d as a n a s p h a l t
supplement, f u e l s u b s t i t u t e , f i l l e r for t h e pro u c t i o n of
e l a s t o m e r p r o d u c t s ( r u b b e r and p l a s t i c ) , and o t h e r i n d stria1 and
commercial u s e s .

'3.

\'

The p r o c e s s i n g p l a n t c a p a c i t y must be determined based on

D e t e r m i n a t i o n o f demand (maximum
s u p p l y and demand f i g u r e s .
58,000 t o n s p e r y e a r ) w i l l i n d i c a t e whether t o depend on
e a s i l y o b t a i n e d s o u r c e s f o r a s u p p l y ( a p p r o x i m a t e l y 8,000 t o n s ) or

t o a g g r e s s i v e l y s o l i c i t a d d i t i o n a l s t o c k from t h e s u p p l y area.
Assuming t h a t t h e p l a n t w i l l o p e r a t e 300 d a y s p e r y e a r , Table 1
shows t h e r a n g e o f f i g u r e s t h a t c a n be u s e d for s i z i n g t h e p l a n t .

TABLE 1
REQUIRED SUPPLY O F T I R E S FOR VARIABLES I Z E D T I R E PROCESSING F A C I L I T I E S

plant
capacity
(tons/day)

tires/day

30-day
tire supply

1 -year
tire supply

100

3,000

30,000

500

15,000

150,000

10

1,000

30,000

300,000

50

5,000

150,000

1 ,500,000

100

10,000

300,000

150

15,000

450,000

3,000,000
4,500,000

264

26,400

792 ,000

7,b20,000
'\

8,

-----------.----------------A daily processing quantity of 150 tons for a 300-day work

year (179 tons for a 251-day work year) is recommended as a
reasonable supply.
Hourly operating capacities based on the
150-ton-per-day (45,000-ton-per-year) recommendation are provided
i n Table 2.

TABLE 2
POUNDS-PER-HOUR CAPACITY OF 150-TONS-PER-DAY
T I R E PROCESSING FACILITY AT VARIABLE USE

Shifts

150 t o n s p e r day
300 days per y e a r
( i n pounds per h o u r )

179 t o n s per day/

251 days per year
( i n pounds per hour)

one 8-hour s h i f t
two 8-hour s h i f t s

37 ,500

44,700

18,750

22 9 375

24 h o u r s a day

12,500

14,900

111.

OVERVIEW OF DISCARDED TIRE PROBLEM

The problem w i t h discarded t i r e s i n Cumberland County i s

similar t o t h a t i n o t h e r j u r i s d i c t i o n s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s .
Something on t h e o r d e r of 9 m i l l i o n a u t o m o b i l e t i r e s and 2 m i l l i o n
Nationally,
t r u c k t i r e s are d i s c a r d e d y e a r l y i n North C a r o l i n a .
a b o u t 30 p e r c e n t of t i r e s i s r e c y c l e d i n t o new p r o d u c t s , 20 percent i s used a s retreads ( m o s t l y t r u c k and f l e e t ) , and a b o u t 10
percent i s used as i n d u s t r i a l a d d i t i v e s f o r f u e l s and i n o t h e r
specialized applications.
Tires do n o t s i g n i f i c a n t l y decompose when b u r i e d .
They have
a t e n d e n c y t o r i s e t o t h e s u r f a c e a n d compromise t h e s u i t a b i l i t y
o f l a n d f i l l s i t e s f o r f u t u r e development.
T i r e s improperly
d i s p o s e d o f , e i t h e r i n l a n d f i l l s o r l e f t on t h e s u r f a c e of t h e
g r o u n d , p r o v i d e e x c e l l e n t breeding g r o u n d s f o r disease c a r r i e r s
and p e s t s .
Huge t i r e s t o c k p i l e s have proven t o be a t h r e a t t o
p u b l i c s a f e t y and e n v i r o n m e n t a l q u a l i t y .

F i r e s o c c a s i o n a l l y a r i s i n g i n s t o c k p i l e d t i r e s are c o s t l y and
d i f f i c u l t t o c o n t r o l . The Winchester, V i r g i n i a , t i r e f i r e burned
f o r more t h a n n i n e months a n d c o s t F r e d e r i c k County more t h a n
$2,300 t o c o n t a i n .
The f i r e s i p h o n e d some $1.8 m i l l i o n from t h e
Superfund (Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and
L i a b i l i t y Act) f o r c o n t a i n m e n t and c l e a n u p o f t h e melted-tire
r u n o f f from t h e s i t e .
1.

For estimating t h e number of t i r e s generated i n a b i v e n area,

The estimate assumes
t h e I n t e n c o Model was used (see Appendix F).
t h a t a s t a n d a r d worn t i r e has l o s t 4 pounds of tread and w i l l
weigh 22 pounds.
Based on t h e f o l l o w i n g p a r a m e t e r s
1979 d a t a
for total
U.S.
scrap tire
generation,
statewide v e h i c l e
p o p u l a t i o n s , statewide mileage f i g u r e s , and l o c a l statewide tread
l i f e t i m e a v e r a g e s -- residents of N o r t h C a r o l i n a w i l l g e n e r a t e 33
pounds o f d i s c a r d e d t i r e s p e r p e r s o n per y e a r .

--

For t h e p u r p o s e of t h i s r e p o r t , t h e s t u d y area i s d e t e r m i n e d
t o be w i t h i n a 100- t o 150-mile r a d i u s o f F a y e t t e v i l l e . Forty-two
c o u n t i e s , o r s e c t i o n s t h e r e o f , f a l l w i t h i n a 100-mile r a d i u s o f
F a y e t t e v i l l e ( s e e Appendix A ) .
I n c l u d i n g Cumberland County, t h e r e
i s a t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n o f 3,436,000 w i t h i n t h e 100- t o 150-mile
r a d i u s o f F a y e t t e v i l l e , e x c l u d i n g t h e p o p u l a t i o n s i n Mecklenburg
County and S o u t h C a r o l i n a .
T h i s f i g u r e i n c l u d e s an urban
( W i t h i n t h e 100-mile
radius of
p o p u l a t i o n o f 1,8OT,OOO.
F a y e t t e v i l l e , there are 27 c i t i e s w i t h p o p u l a t i o n s o v e r 10,000.
T h i s i n c l u d e s t h e m e t r o p o l i t a n areas o f Greensboro-High P o i n t ,
Wilmington, Durham, and Raleigh.)
8

Based on t h e I n t e n c o f o r m u l a for estimating d i s c a r d e d $ire

g e n e r a t i o n , an estimated y i e l d o f 5.2 m i l l i o n d i s c a r d e d t i r e s
would be g e n e r a t e d a n n u a l l y i n t h e s t u d y area.
O f t h a t amount,
2,715,000 would be g e n e r a t e d i n u r b a n areas.

The Gresham Lake l a n d f i l l , which receives t i r e s from t h e

s u r r o u n d i n g T r i a n g l e area, estimates t h a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y 100,000
t i r e s are received a n n u a l l y .
There are o t h e r r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e
s o u r c e s where l a r g e q u a n t i t i e s of t i r e s a r e c o n c e n t r a t e d ( s e e
Table 3 ) .
To r o u t i n e l y o b t a i n t i r e s from these s o u r c e s , a r e l i a b l e
c o l l e c t i o n and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n s y s t e m w i l l be n e c e s s a r y .
The
f o l l o w i n g t a b l e i l l u s t r a t e s t i r e poundage and numbers of t i r e s
u s i n g a c o n s e r v a t i v e -- g i v e n t h a t many o f t h e s e t i r e s w i l l be
h e a v i e r t r u c k t i r e s -- 2 2 - p o u n d s - p e r - t i r e f i g u r e .
Of
t h e t o t a l t i r e s (5.2
m i l l i o n ) i n t h e s t u d y area,
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 1 4 p e r c e n t , o r 728,275, d i s c a r d e d t i r e s per y e a r are
c o l l e c t e d a t convenient p o i n t s for t r a n s p o r t .
S e v e r a l o f these
s i t e s a l s o have v a r y i n g amounts of t i r e s s t o c k p i l e d .

F i f t y - t w o p e r c e n t , o r 2,715,000, scrap t i r e s are a v a i l a b l e

The r e m a i n i n g 48 p e r c e n t , or
f o r c o l l e c t i o n i n u r b a n i z e d areas.
2,450,000, of discarded t i r e s are l o c a t e d i n s u b u r b a n - r u r a l a n d
rural locations.
Hence, t h e m a j o r i t y o f discarded t i r e s are
located a t or
near c o n c e n t r a t i o n s
of
populations.
BY
e s t a b l i s h i n g a formal c o l l e c t i o n system, either through selfg e n e r a t e d e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p o r government i n c e n t i v e , , s u f f i c i e n t
numbers o f d i s c a r d e d t i r e s are a v a i l a b l e and can be colUected.
I n i t i a l l y , c o l l e c t i o n of t i r e g c a n be limited''\ t o those
o b t a i n e d u n d e r c o n t r a c t o r i n f o r m a l agreement w i t h t h e m i l i t a r y ,
l o c a l i n d u s t r y , and l a n d f i l l s i n t h e s u r r o u n d i n g 100- t o 150-mile
perimeter. Small b u s i n e s s e s now p a y i n g t o have t i r e s removed, and
t h e small u s e d - t i r e j o b b e r s who c o l l e c t t i r e s i n b u l k t o r e c y c l e
u s a b l e carcasses, s h o u l d t a k e a d v a n t a g e o f a f r e e o r low-cost t i r e
dump p o i n t .
I n i t i a l i n d i c a t i o n s are t h a t t h e p r e s e n t c o l l e c t i o n network
i s c a s u a l a n d l i m i t e d i n s c o p e t o m o s t l y small, i n d e p e n d e n t
o p e r a t o r s working i n small r e g i o n s .

As word o f t h e t i r e p r o c e s s i n g p l a p t becomes known, i n d i v i d u a l s s h o u l d seek o u t t h e s e r v i c e of t h e f a c i l i t y t o d i s p o s e o f

t h e i r t i r e s t o c k s . -Depending on what t i r e t o n n a g e i s available
p e r d a y , a p o r t a b l e t i r e shredder may be a p p r o p r i a t e t o s h r e d

TABLE 3
SOURCES OF CONCENTRATED DISCARD T I R E S
ANNUAL GENERATION

Source

Number of Tires
( per year 1

Cohen & Green

7,273

Kelly Springfield

--

Pounds
(per year)
160,000

318,182

7,000,000

10,000

220,000

1,455

32,000

31,819

700,000

Fayetteville retail outlets

236,364

5,200,000

Gresham Lake landfill (Raleigh)

100,000

2,200,000

Camp Lejeune
Cherry Point/Semour Johnson
Fort Bragg

Marion Mullen (South Carolina

tire salvage)

23,182

!jlO,Q\OO
3

TOTALS

t i r e s a t v a r i o u s l o c a t i o n s and minimize t r a n s p o r t a t i o n c o s t s . The

c o u n t l e s s numbers o f small- and medium-sized t i r e p i l e s scattered
t h r o u g h o u t t h e s o u r c e r e g i o n s h o u l d be i d e n t i f i e d and p r o v i d e d t h e
opportunity t o use t h e f a c i l i t y .
No t i r e p r o c e s s i n g f a c i l i t i e s c o n t a c t e d d u r i n g t h e c o u r s e of
t h i s s u r v e y i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e y p a i d f o r t h e d e l i v e r y of t i r e s .
S e v e r a l , i n f a c t , charged a t i p fee. S t o c k p i l e r s o f t i r e s w i l l be
encouraged t o d i s p o s e o f t h e i r t i r e s i f a l l o w e d t o i n v e s t i n a

t i r e processing f a c i l i t y .
Some p l a n t s charge f o u r cents p e r pound o f t i r e d e l i v e r e d t o
processing facilities.
A f a c i l i t y i n Howard County,
Maryland,
o r i g i n a l l y i n c o r p o r a t e d under t h e name o f Roplex i n
1980, b u i l t i t s i n i t i a l s t o c k by c o l l e c t i n g t i r e s from unwanted
p i l e s a t a p r i c e of 50 c e n t s per t i r e .
their

F r e e acceptance of t i r e s t o c k w i l l l i k e l y a t t r a c t some large

g e n e r a t o r s o f discarded t i r e s or s c a v e n g e r s s e e k i n g t o d i s p o s e of
t h e i r unwanted t i r e s .
However, by c h a r g i n g a d i s p o s a l f e e , t h e
f a c i l i t y w i l l have a p r e d i c t a b l e s o u r c e of r e v e n u e t h a t may h e l p
pay for c a p i t a l and o p e r a t i n g c o s t s and d e b t repayment.
I n a growing number o f areas, l o c a l l a n d f i l l s charge even
o r as i n Minnesota, have had t h e d i s p o s a l o f
t i r e s banned c o m p l e t e l y .
In c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h o t h e r p r e l i m i n a r y
o b j e c t i v e s f o r e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e f a c i l i t y , it would be a d v i s a b l e t o
c o n s i d e r s u c h p o l i c i e s for North C a r o l i n a .
Currently, i n North
C a r o l i n a , most p u b l i c l a n d f i l l s do n o t d i s t i n g u i s h be ween t i r e s
and o t h e r s o l i d wastes, c h a r g i n g t h e same low t i p p i n g Re for a l l
accepted wastes, s u c h as $1.40 per c u b i c y a r d a t the Wake County
l a n d f i l l . The o n l y s t i p u l a t i o n is t h a t a l l tires "tn excess of 18
i n c h e s i n diameter be q u a r t e r e d . T h e p r i v a t e l y owned Gresham Lake
l a n d f i l l , a l s o i n Wake County, accepts t i r e s and charges 25 c e n t s
for car t i r e s a n d $1.00 f o r t r u c k t i r e s .
higher t i p rates,

An i m p o r t a n t c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n recommending t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f
crumb r u b b e r o v e r o t h e r t i r e r e c y c l i n g a l t e r n a t i v e s i s t h a t t h e r e
a r e only three u s e s which have been d e t e r m i n e d t o be o f s u f f i c i e n t
market s i z e t o a b s o r b t h e estimated f i v e m i l l i o n p l u s t i r e s
g e n e r a t e d i n t h e Cumberland County s u p p l y area.
Two o f these,
b o i l e r - f u e l s u b s t i t u t e and a s p h a l t s u p p l e m e n t , r e q u i r e s i z e
v a r i a t i o n s of c h i p p e d or ground r u b b e r . The t h i r d , p y r o l y s i s o i l ,
r e q u i r e s f u r t h e r analyses t o determrne f e a s i b i l i t y f o r the
Cumberland County area.

Self-Reliance, I n c . recommends t h a t CCCCC:

assess i n d e t a i l t h e market f o r crumb r u b b e r i n

c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h Cumberland County and p r i v a t e i n d u s t r y

assess i n d e t a i l t h e market f o r crumb r u b b e r f o r a co-fire

o r s u b s t i t u t e f o r hog f u e l

f u r t h e r e x p l o r e t h e f e a s i b i l i t y of an
produce o i l t h r o u g h p y r o l y s i s t e c h n o l o g y

r a i s e t h e d i s p o s a l c o s t of t i r e s a t e x i s t i n g l a n d f i l l s

e n c o u r a g e t h e s t a t e t o a d o p t s t a n d a r d s and s p e c i f i c a t i o n s
f o r t h e u s e o f crumb r u b b e r i n a s p h a l t

c o n t i n u e t o be a l i a i s o n between t h e p r i v a t e s e c t o r a n d
t h e S t a t e Department o f T r a n s p o r t a t i o n , Department of
S t a t e Commerce, Commerical D i v i s i o n o f Energy, and t h e
Department o f N a t u r a l R e s o u r c e s and Community Development
on t h e i s s u e o f crumb r u b b e r development

enterprise

i,
?

to

IV.

RECOMMENDED DEVELOPMENT PLAN OUTLINE

The f o l l o w i n g development p l a n o u t l i n e i l l u s t r a t e s t y p i c a l
t a s k s t h a t s h o u l d be accomplished i n CCCCC's i n v e s t i g a t i o n of t h e
u s e o f crumb r u b b e r .
I n i t i a t i o n of any one item d o e s n o t i n

i t s e l f p r e c l u d e s t a r t i n g any o t h e r t a s k .
A.

Distribute the report

B.

Meet w i t h p o t e n t i a l crumb r u b b e r p l a n t i n v e s t o r s

C.

Meet w i t h t h e S t a t e Department of T r a n s p o r t a t i o n on r o a d
s p e c i f i c a t i o n s for t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n of r u b b e r as a
s t a n d a r d i z e d component i n a s p h a l t

D.

I d e n t i f y and meet w i t h end-use p l a n t s t o d i s c u s s markets

and s u p p l y

E.

Meet w i t h i d e n t i f i e d p a r t i e s t o s i t e p l a n t i n Cumberland

County

F.

Meet w i t h County on l a n d use and permits

G.

Meet w i t h t e c h n o l o g y v e n d o r s and i n t e r e s t e d crumb r u b b e r

companies t o d i s c u s s equipment p u r c h a s e , p a t e n t l e a s i n g ,
o r f r a n c h i s e arrangement
i

H.

I d e n t i f y s o u r c e s of f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e

1.

private investors

2.

Department of Energy I n d u s t r i a l Assistance (For

a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n on t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y , c o n t a c t
S t u a r t N a t o f , Program Manager, Office of I n d u s t r i a l
Programs, U.S. Department of Energy, Mail Code CE
121 , 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D .C.
20585.

3.

North C a r o l i n a Energy Development A u t h o r i t y

(The
A u t h o r i t y i s s t a f f e d by t h e E n e r g y D i v i s i o n 09 t h e
N o r t h C a r o l i n a Commerce Department.
The p r i m a r y
staff person is Ellen Polanski.
Head of t h e Energy
D i v i s i o n i s Doug C u l b r e t h , who h a s e x p r e s s e d i n t e r e s t
i n t h e f u e l a p p l i c a t i o n s of t h e crumb r u b b e r . (PO
25249, Raleigh, N o r t h C a r o l i n a 97611 919/733-2230)
The A u t h o r i t y can i s s u e bonds f o r e n e r g y - g e n e r a t i n g
p r o j e c t s , b u t t h e f u n d s must be f u n n e l e d t h r o u g h a
p u b l i c agency. P r o v i d i n g high-BTU "make-up" f u e l f o r
w a s t e - t o - e n e r g y p l a n t s s u c h as t h a t o p e r a t i n g i n

17

Wilmington,
assistance.)

would

likely

qualify

for

this

4.

The Resource C o n s e r v a t i o n a n d Recovery Act, P u b l i c

Law 94-580, S e c t i o n 2004, p r o v i d e s for a 5-percent
g r a n t t o w a r d s t h e p u r c h a s e p r i c e of t i r e s h r e d d e r s
t o t h o s e e l i g i b l e a p p l i c a n t s best meeting c r i t e r i a
promulgated under t h i s s e c t i o n .
However, money was
never appropriated f o r t h i s s e c t i o n .

5.

S o l i d Waste D i s p o s a l Act, P u b l i c Law 89-272,

S e c t i o n 1003; o b j e c t i v e s make m u l t i p l e reference t o
promoting research and development of s o l i d - w a s t e
management and r e s o u r c e c o n s e r v a t i o n t e c h n i q u e s ,
d e m o n s t r a t i o n , c o n s t r u c t i o n , a n d a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e
same, and p r o v i d i n g t r a i n i n g g r a n t s i n o c c u p a t i o n s
i n v o l v i n g d e s i g n , o p e r a t i o n , and maintenance of
solid-waste
d i s p o s a l systems.
T h i s avenue o f
a s s i s t a n c e s h o u l d be f u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t e d once a
d e s i g n on a d e f i n i t e t e c h n o l o g y i s made.
The

APPENDIX A
COUNTY AND CITY POPULATIONS IN THE 100- t o 150-WILE SUPPLY AREA
(County data based on July, 1984 census estimates, city
populations based on July, 1983 estimates)

-- MAJOR

COUNTY

--

Alamance

CITIES

Burlington

COUNTY POPULATION
102,200

Anson

26,100

Bladen

30 700

Brunswick

43 ,700

--

Cabarrus

Concord

92,000

CITY POPULATION

37,954

17,959

Caswell

22,100

Chat ham

35 ,200

Columbus

51,800

76 9 500

20,620

Craven

-- Havelock

Cumberland

--

Davidson

--

Fayetteville

Lexington

Dublin
Durham

251,300
117,600

61,762
16,306

41,500

--

Durham

Edgecombe

--

Tarboro

Franklin

102,670

58,200

10,822

31,900

Granvi 1 le
Guilford

159,200

--

Greensboro

--

High P o i n t

36,300
325,300

158,712
66,685

14

-- MAJOR

COUNTY

CITIES

COUNTY POPULATION

Harnett

61,800

Hoke

22,100

Johnston

75 ,300
9 ,800

Jones

Lee

--

Lenoir

Sanford

39 ,400

15,540

--

61,000

26,268

Kinston

Montgomery

23 ,400

Moore

54,300

Nash

--

Rocky Mount

70,200

45,403

--

110,400

45,085

118,600

25,134

80,900

32,941

N e w Hanover

Onslow
Orange

---

Wilmington

Jacksonville
Chapel H i l l

Person

30,100

-- G r e e n v i l l e
Randolf -- Ashboro

Pitt

Richmond
Lumberton

---

Rockinghare

Eden

105,500

16,961

85,400

16,961
12,506

50 ,500

--

Scotland

Laurinburg

33,800

12,135

49 ,900

15,155

Monroe

76 ,300

15,058

-- Henderson
-- R a l e i g h

38 ,000

15,966

337 ,300

167,464

Stanley

Wake

96,400

Reidsville

Sampson

Vance

94,900

46,600

--

Robeson

Union

CITY POPULATSON

--

--

Albemarle -

COUNTY
Wayne
Wilson

0-

---

MAJOR CITIES
Goldsboro

Wilson

COUNTY POPULATION

CITY POPULATION

98,100

35,539

64,600

35 ,379

TOTALS

16

FIGURE 1
POPULATION AREAS WITHIN 100- TO 150-MILES OF FAYETTEVILLE

D,,,,,.,,,32,000 lbs
E,,...,..510,000
lbs

Each concentric-circle represents 50

miles from the center of Fayetteville,

17

APPENDIX B
CHARACTERISTICS OF TIRES:

COMPOSITION AND CHEMISTRY

Today's t i r e s are a complex c o m p o s i t i o n .

Different p a r t s of

t h e t i r e ( t r e a d , s i d e w a l l , carcass, i n n e r l a y e r ) have d i f f e r e n t
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , which are i m p a r t e d by v a r i o u s b l e n d s of r u b b e r
and o t h e r material.
Most passenger t i r e s u s e s y n t h e t i c r u b b e r

compounds i n c l u d i n g s t y r e n e - b u t a d i e n e , c i s p o l y b u t a d i e n e , b u t y l ,
(EPDM) a n d n e o p r e n e r u b b e r s .
ethylene-propylene-diene-terpolymer
In a d d i t i o n t o t h e s e s y n t h e t i c s , n a t u r a l r u b b e r i s common i n t r u c k
tires.
development
of
today's
long-wearing,
all-weather
p a s s e n g e r t i r e has meant t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n o f a large number o f
a n t i o x i d a n t s , a d h e s i o n e n h a n c e r s , a n t i o z o n a n t s , and b i o c i d e s i n t o
t h e tread.
Commonly found i n these a d d i t i v e s a r e t r a c e elements
o f antimony, a r s e n i c , barium, l e a d , c o p p e r , cadmium, sodium,
p o t a s s i u m , and o t h e r e l e m e n t s .
S e v e r a l o f these elements a r e
known t o be t o x i c . However, there i s no i n d i c a t i o n i n any o f t h e
l i t e r a t u r e reviewed t h a t t h e y p r e s e n t a h e a l t h r i s k i n t h e
recycling of tires.
The

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e above e l e m e n t s , s u l f u r i s present as a
v u l c a n i z i n g a g e n t i n t h e r u b b e r , u s u a l l y c o m p r i s i n g 1.5 t o 2
p e r c e n t o f t h e r u b b e r by volume.
When used f o r a , f u e l , t h e
p e r c e n t a g e of s u l f u r i n t i r e r u b b e r i s e q u i v a l e n l j t o t h a t
c o n t a i n e d i n high-grade b i t u m i n o u s c o a l .
Z i n c o x i d e is added i n
r e l a t i v e l y large c o n c e n t r a t i o n s ( 5 p a r t s p e r 100 parts &f r u b b e r )
as a c u r i n g activator and pigment.
Z i n c o x i d e is a p o t e n t i a l
problem i n u s i n g r u b b e r as a f u e l b e c a u s e it i s released as a
p a r t i c u l a t e ; t h i s phenomenon has been r e p o r t e d t o c a u s e problems
i n b o i l e r systems.
Crumb r u b b e r d e r i v e d from t i r e s i s a v e r y h e t e r o g e n e o u s
mixture o f d i f f e r e n t r u b b e r s .
While t h e r e
i s an a v e r a g e
c o m p o s i t i o n , t h e d i f f e r e n t r u b b e r c o n s t i t u e n t s v a r y because of
d i f f e r e n t t i r e manufacturers' formulations.
Composition of t i r e s a l s o i n c l u d e s :
o

r u b b e r a t 80 p e r c e n t

s t e e l a t 10 p e r c e n t

f i b e r a t 10 p e r c e n t

18

Additional review i n d i c a t e s t h a t :

two pounds o f o i l i s required t o manufacture one pound of

s y n t h e t i c rubber (There a r e s e v e n pounds of oil per

gallon )
o

1.9 to 2 . 5 g a l l o n s of o i l can be recovered from an average

20- to 25-pound t i r e

One t o n of t i r e s i s required t o e x t r a c t t h e e q u i v a l e n t of
one barrel of crude o i l

There a r e approximately 90 t i r e s i n one t o n

One t o n of
rubber

t i r e s yields

approximately

1 , 3 5 0 pounds

19

of

I.

APPENDIX C
AN OVERVIEW OF THE TIRE-RECYCLING PROCESS

Approximately 20 m i l l i o n t i r e s (350 m i l l i o n pounds) a r e

r e p r o c e s s e d as reclaim (350 m i l l i o n pounds) each y e a r i n t h e
U n i t e d S t a t e s . The t i r e s are f i r s t ground t o a 9- t o 30-mesh and
t h e n p r o c e s s e d . P r o c e s s i n g e n t a i l s t h e mixing o f t h e crumb r u b b e r
w i t h o i l s and o t h e r p r o c e s S i n g a i d s , and t h e n d i g e s t i n g t h e
m i x t u r e i n a steam p r e s s u r e v e s s e l for 4 t o 6 h o u r s w i t h
c o n t i n u o u s mixing. The r e s u l t i n g p r o d u c t c a n be mixed w i t h o t h e r
compounding agents and s t r a i n e d t o remove i m p u r i t i e s , and i s t h e n
r o l l e d o u t on r e f i n i n g m i l l s and packaged i n sheets.
I n some
r e f e r e n c e s t o reclaim, t h e term i s used synonymously w i t h ground
For p u r p o s e s o f t h i s r e p o r t , reclaim w i l l be
crumb r u b b e r .
d e f i n e d as t h e p r o c e s s described above.
Reclaim i s used i n t h e p r o d u c t i o n of c e r t a i n p a r t s o f some
tires, mostly bias,
as well a s a v a r i e t y o f o t h e r p r o d u c t s
c o n s i d e r e d n o t t o have e x a c t i n g r u b b e r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s . Bias t i r e s
can
a b s o r b c o n s i d e r a b l y more
reclaimed
rubber
than
the
s o p h i s t i c a t e d steel-belted t i r e . E x a c t i n g s p e c i f i c a t i o n s for new
highway t i r e s have l e d t o t h e d i s p l a c e m e n t of ground scrap.
A
market of 8 m i l l i o n pounds, n a t i o n a l l y , has been estimated f o r
reclaim i n nonhighway u s e t i r e s , s u c h as on farm, o f f - r o a d , and
warehouse v e h i c l e s .

Another e f f o r t , which has r e l i a b l y i f m o d e s t l y c o n t r i b u t e d t o

r e c y c l i n g e f f o r t , i s t h e c o l l e c t i o n and resal4 o f t i r e
carcasses for retreading.
This is estimated t o recycle up t o
20 percent of Uiscarded t i r e s , t h o u g h t h e practice i s m a i n l y
p u r s u e d b y t r u c k i n g and f l e e t b u s i n e s s e s . The s p l i t t i n g i n d u s t r y
Splitters die-cut
u s e s one p e r c e n t of t h e d i s c a r d e d t i r e s u p p l y .
t i r e side walls t o fabricate r u b b e r items of h i g h d u r a b i l i t y , s u c h
a s spacers and g a s k e t s .
the

AMBIENT GRI#DIBG OF TIRES

Ambient p r o c e s s i n g i s used e x c l u s i v e l y by crumb r u b b e r
m a n u f a c t u r e r s i n t h e U n i t e d States. The name i s d e r i v e d from t h e
p r o c e s s o c c u r i n g a t ambient t e m p e r a t u r e .as opposed t o t h e s u b z e r o
t e m p e r a t u r e s c h a r a c t e r i z i n g c r y o g e n i c cracking.
Conventional
a m b i e n t p r o c e s s i n g f i r s t e n t a i l s the removal of t h e metal bead
from t h e t i r e . T h i s is u s u a l l y a manual o p e r a t i o n , and r e s u l t s i n
some l o s s of r u b b e r a v a i l a b l e for processing, and a s i g n i f i c a n t
labor c o s t .
The bead h o l d s t h e t i r e snug t o t h e wheel when t h e

20

t i r e i s inflated.
Tires c o n t a i n i n g s t e e l i n t h e tread are n o t
suitable f o r processing i n the conventional fashion.
P r e p a r e d t i r e s are f e d i n t o a c h u t e t h a t d e l i v e r s them t o two
r o t a t i n g drums. The h e a v y - s t e e l drums are o p e r a t e d a t h i g h t o r q u e
a n d low s p e e d .
They r o t a t e a t d i f f e r e n t s p e e d s w i t h a c l e a r a n c e
between them o f 1/4 t o 1 / 2 i n c h . Some a r e e q u i p p e d
w i t h hooked
teeth f o r shredding.
The t i r e s p r o c e s s e d i n t h i s manner are
d e s c r i b e d as being exploded and are d e l i v e r e d as i r r e g u l a r l y s i z e d
t i r e chunks a p p r o x i m a t e l y 4 i n c h e s by 4 i n c h e s . These p i e c e s c a n
be f u r t h e r reduced i n s i z e b y - r u n n i n g them t h r o u g h a comminuter.
The comminuter i s a n a x i s w i t h m u l t i p l e e x t e n d i n g b l a d e s
t h a t c u t t h e p i e c e s against f i x e d d y e s w i t h s l o t s t o p e r m i t b l a d e
passage.
Comminuters are s i z e d t o c u t t h e r u b b e r p i e c e s t o a
p r e d e t e r m i n e d mesh.
An estimated 15,000 BTUs per t i r e ' are
r e q u i r e d t o m e c h a n i c a l l y s h r e d t h e r u b b e r i n t o one-inch p i e c e s ,
r e p r e s e n t i n g a b o u t f i v e p e r c e n t o f t h e heat o f combustion (Gaines

and Wolsky, 1979).

U n t i l r e c e n t l y , ambient p r o c e s s i n g o f used t i r e s was
i n a d e q u a t e l y d e v e l o p e d t o a l l o w t h e crumbing o f s t e e l - b e l t e d
tires.
Although many shredder m a n u f a c t u r e r s have been a b l e t o
market p r o d u c t s t h a t c u t t h e s t e e l w i t h o u t e x c e s s i v e maintenance
c o s t s , t h e s t e e l b e l t i n g c o u l d n o t be s u f f i c i e n t l y c l e a n e d from
t h e crumb r u b b e r .

Recent i n n o v a t i o n s by Cumberland E n g i n e e r i n g , G r a n t Chemical,

Energy Recovery Systems, and others have r e p o r t e d l y s u c c e e d e d i n
c o m p l e t e l y removing t h e s t e e l f r a c t i o n from t h e crumb t u b b e r .
If
these claims are v e r i f i e d , t h e n the ambient p r o c e s s i n g , t e c h n o l o g y
w i l l be p r a c t i c a l , as i t s cost compares f a v o r a b l y ' w i t h the
cryogenic process.
It is a p p r o p r i a t e t o n o t e here t h a t t h e
u s e d t i r e p r o c e s s i n g i n d u s t r y i s s u b j e c t t o heavy p o s t u r i n g
between companies,
fast-profit
scams,
and a p l e t h o r a o f
c o n f l i c t i n g o p i n i o n s on what has been d o n e , what i s p o s s i b l e , and
what f u t u r e there i s f o r t h e i n d u s t r y . Given t h i s s i t u a t i o n , care
must be t a k e n i n assessing claims t h a t are made r e g a r d i n g p r o d u c t
and s y s t e m c a p a b i l i t i e s .
One o n - s i t e v i s i t t o a crumb r u b b e r m a n u f a c t u r e r (Emanuel
T i r e Company, B a l t i m o r e , Maryland) d e t e r m i n e d t h a t as much as 60
p e rc e n t o f t h e weight o f t h e f i n a l crumb p r o d u c t was unmarketable
b e c a u s e o f s t e e l and f i b e r c o n t a m i n a t i o p . T h i s material c o u l d be
u s e d as a f u e l u n d e r a p p r o p r i a t e c i r c u m s t a n c e s o r as t h e f e e d s t o c k
i n a pyrolysis f a c i l i t y f o r conversion t o fuel-grade o i l ; but
t h e d i f f i c u l t y i n s e p a r a t i n g s t e e l from t h e segment of t h e r u b b e r
l e f t a f t e r t h e g r i n d i n g o p e r a t i o n makes any s u c h e f f o r t a t s t e e l
reclamation c o s t prohibitive.

21

CRYOGENIC PROCESSING OF TIRES

The a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h i s t e c h n o l o g y t o crumbing t i r e r u b b e r i s
r e l a t i v e l y new. I t s a d v o c a t e s claim t h a t c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s i n g i s
t h e only technology feasible t o process t o d a y ' s discarded t i r e s
b e c a u s e of t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f steel-belted t i r e s . T h e i r a s s u m p t i o n
i s t h a t ambient g r i n d i n g o f t h e s t e e l - b e l t e d t i r e s i s n o t
practical

I n t e r e s t i n g l y , a l l o p e r a t i o n a l crumb r u b b e r p r o d u c e r s i n t h e
U n i t e d S t a t e s u s e ambient g r i n d i n g , and many claim t o p r o c e s s
steel-belted tires.
The G e n s t a r P l a n t i n C h a n d l e r , Arizona,
claims t o b e c a p a b l e o f g r i n d i n g t h e s t e e l - b e l t e d p a s s e n g e r t i r e
down t o a s i z e o f 100 mesh.
Processing tires cryogenically e n t a i l s presizing t h e tires
i n t o p i e c e s a p p r o x i m a t e l y 15 c e n t i m e t e r s s q u a r e . T h i s p r o c e s s i s
c a r r i e d o u t u s i n g a common s h r e d d e r .
Preprocessing reduces
o v e r a l l s i z e , and i n c r e a s e s s u r f a c e area and b u l k d e n s i t y t o
The
c o n s e r v e t h e l i q u i d n i t r o g e n used i n t h e f o l l o w i n g p r o c e s s .
p r e s i z e d rubber chunks a r e f e d v i a a v i b r a t o r y hopper o n t o a
conveyor a n d i n t o t h e f r e e z i n g u n i t .
Rubber i n s i d e t h e f r e e z i n g
u n i t i s s p r a y e d w i t h a f i n e mist o f l i q u i d n i t r o g e n , which
immediately vaporizes, absorbing h e a t energy.
The r e s u l t i n g g a s
i s c i r c u l a t e d , i n c r e a s i n g g a s v e l o c i t y and e n h a n c i n g t h e c o o l i n g
effect.
The r u b b e r i s c o o l e d t o between -60 and -100 d e g r e e s
centigrade.
The conveyor d e l i v e r s t h e f r o z e n and e m b r i t t l e d
r u b b e r t o a hammer m i l l where t h e r u b b e r i s smashed by t h e impact
of m u l t i p l e hammer blows.
The hammers are p i n n e d to. d i s k s t h a t
are r o t a t e d , g i v i n g t h e hammer a d d i t i o n a l f o r c e from t T c e n t r i f u g a l
Hammer w e i g h t s r a n g e from 3 o u n c e s t o 750 pounds.
A
motion.
t y p i c a l p r o c e s s i n g a s s e m b l y i n c l u d e s t h e following p i e c e s of
equipment i n s e q u e n t i a l o r d e r :
DESTONER --> SHREDDER --> VIBRATORY FEEDER --> CONVEYOR -- >
FREEZING TUNNEL --> HAMMER MILL --> PRIMARY STEEL SEPARATION -->
FIBER SEPARATION --> SECONDARY STEEL SEPARATION --> CLASSIFIER -->
BAGGER
The one c r y o g e n i c p l a n t f o r r e p r o c e s s i n g t i r e s i n North
America was decommissioned b e c a u s e of economic c o n s i d e r a t i o n s .

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST BETWEEN AMBIENT AND CRYOGENIC PROCESSES

The p r e l i m i n a r y p r o c e s s i n g , s h r e d d i n g , and s i z i n g are similar
p r i o r t o b o t h ambient and c r y o g e n i c crumbing.
The same i s t r u e
f o r p o s t p r o c e s s i n g , when t h e p r o d u c t i s c l a s s i f i e d and bagged.

22

The s e p a r a t i o n o f f i b e r and s t e e l i s similar f o r t h e p r o c e s s e s ,

r e l y i n g on magnetic s e p a r a t i o n for t h e s t e e l and a i r s e p a r a t i o n
f o r t h e f i b e r , a l t h o u g h t h e i n c o r p o r a t i o n o f t h e p r o c e d u r e Is

h i g h l y v a r i a b l y from system t o system.

The o n l y essential difference between t h e a m b i e n t and

c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s e s l i e s i n t h e crumbing o f t h e shredded t i r e .
Ambient equipment d o e s appear t o have a n e d g e w i t h lower c a p i t a l
cost.
Equipment maintenance, however, i s a concern and i s
expensive.
Thus e q u i p m e n t . r e l i a b i l i t y i s i n q u e s t i o n , and
p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f e x t e n d e d downtime might present a problem. T h e r e
i s a l s o some q u e s t i o n on t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f steel removal,
a l t h o u g h some o f t h e l e a d i n g equipment i n n o v a t o r s have a s s u r e d
t h a t s t e e l removal i s no l o n g e r a problem.
The major difference
between t h e two t e c h n o l o g i e s , w i t h respect t o crumbing t h e r u b b e r ,
i s t h a t t h e c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s a c c o m p l i s h e s t h e s i z i n g w i t h one
p a s s t h r o u g h t h e c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s ; t h e ambient process, i n
c o n t r a s t , r e q u i r e s repeated m i l l i n g o f t h e r u b b e r o h i p s and
s c r e e n i n g o f t h e m i l l e d p r o d u c t t o f i l t e r o u t t h e desired s i z e d
crumb.
For t h e ambient p r o c e s s , t h e more t h e r u b b e r c h i p s are
p r o c e s s e d , t h e more t h o r o u g h t h e s t e e l and f i b e r removal; t h e
c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s c a n e f f e c t i v e l y a c c o m p l i s h s t e e l removal w i t h
o n l y one pass i f t h e d e s i r e d mesh s i z e i s small enough t o p e r m i t
t h o r o u g h s e p a r a t i o n of s t e e l and r u b b e r .

An o n - s i t e v i s i t t o t h e Emanuel Tire Company l e d t o t h e

d i s c o v e r y t h a t a r a t i o as h i g h as 3 t o Is
b u t as low as 1 t o 3
( d e p e n d i n g on mesh s i z e ) , o f n o n q a r k e t a b l e r u b b e r and s t e e l t o
marketable crumb was l i k e l y .
The cost of r e p r o c e s s i n g \ t h e r u b b e r
p u l l e d o f f t h e f i n i s h e d crumb r u b b e r b e l t i n c r e a s e s b e c g u s e of I t s
steel content.
Repeated m i l l i n g would r e c o v e r mor\e r u b b e r ;
however, t h e economics of a d d l t i o n a l processing may discourage
t h i s practice.
S i m i l a r l y , g r i n d i n g t o f i n e r meshes would f u r t h e r
separate t h e s t e e l from t h e r u b b e r .
The cost o f repeated m i l l i n g
t o a d e q u a t e l y separate t h e s t e e l from t h e r u b b e r t o a l l o w
marketing of t h e s t e e l i s p r o h i b i t i v e , and t h u s p r e c l u d e s t h e
large-scale s a l e o f s t e e l as an income p r o d u c e r .
I n cryogenic processing, t h e high c o s t of l i q u i d nitrogen
The e n e r g y r e q u i r e d t o l i q u e f y one pound of
p u r e n i t r o g e n a t ambient t e m p e r a t u r e i s a b o u t 3,000 BTUs
( t h e r m a l ) . T h i s i s more t h a n 30,000 BTUs per t i r e i f t h e energy
v a l u e o f t h e hammer m i l l i s i n c l u d e d ( G a i n e s and Wolsky, 1979).
must be c o n s i d e r e d .

I t i s clear t h a t c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s i n g of r u b b e r w i l l o n l y be
f e a s i b l e when v e r y f i n e meshes of crumb are r e q u i r e d .
These can
be priced h i g h e r t h a n t h e c h i p s and 30-mesh crumb r e q u i r e d f o r t h e
f u e l a n d a s p h a l t markets.
I t is important t o a p p r e c i a t e t h a t
c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s i n g c a n p l a y a n i m p o r t a n t r o l e i n t h e crumbing of

r u b b e r t o v e r y small mesh, and t h a t steel and fiber removal are

g r e a t l y facilitated i n t h i s process.
Cryogenic processing t o
s i z e s t h i s small i n s u r e s t o t a l removal o f s t e e l from t h e r u b b e r ,
and i n t r o d u c e s t h e s t e e l by-product as a marketable q u a n t i t y .
However, e q u a l l y i m p o r t a n t t o u n d e r s t a n d i s t h a t c r y o g e n i c
p r o c e s s i n g r e q u i r e s ambient s i z i n g steps, which a l o n e are a d e q u a t e
f o r t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f ? / & i n c h and larger c h i p s for f u e l .
T h e r e f o r e , f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f t h e markets recommended, c r y o g e n i c
p r o c e s s i n g d o e s n o t a p p e a r t o be a d v a n t a g e o u s , even t h o u g h
a l a r g e r p e r c e n t a g e , i f n o t a l l , o f t h e r u b b e r may be r e c o v e r e d
T h i s might a l s o
f o r marketable u s e w i t h t h e c r y o g e n i c system.
a p p l y t o r e c o v e r y of t h e s t e e l .
However, b e c a u s e no c r y o g e n i c
p l a n t i s i n o p e r a t i o n , t h e comparison can n o t be made.
The b u l k d e n s i t y of crumbed r u b b e r has been i d e n t i f i e d as a
f a c t o r i n f l u e n c i n g t h e desirable, h i g h - e l a s t i c c o n d i t i o n imparted
by t h e r u b b e r i n r o a d a s p h a l t .
Bulk d e n s i t y c a n be used t o
Crumbs
c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e s u r f a c e q u a l i t y o f t h e r u b b e r crumbs.
produced by ambient g r i n d i n g , which i n v o l v e s t h e tearing of t h e
r u b b e r , have a p o r o u s , h i g h - s u r f a c e area. Crumbs manufactured by
means o f a c r y o g e n i c p r o c e s s have more of a c r y s t a l l i n e s u r f a c e ,
w i t h smooth cracked angles.
L a b o r a t o r y s t u d i e s have shown t h a t
t h e e f f i c a c y of rubber i n asphalt corresponds l i n e a r l y with t h e
r u b b e r ' s b u l k d e n s i t y . P o r o u s p a r t i c l e s have a lower b u l k d e n s i t y
t h a n do smoother a n g u l a r o n e s b e c a u s e t h e f o r m e r do n o t pack as
closely together.
I n t h e o r y , t h e greater s u r f a c e area o f t h e
l o w e r - b u l k - d e n s i t y crumb r u b b e r s permits a more t h o r o u g h d i g e s t i o n
o f t h e crumb i n t o t h e a s p h a l t . F i g u r e 2 shows t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p of
bulk d e n s i t y t o elastic s t r a i n recovery i n asphalt. I A l s o n o t e
t h a t n a t u r a l r u b b e r has a s i g n i f i c a n t a d v a n t a g e o v e r , s y n t h e t i c
crumb i n g i v i n g t h i s q u a l i t y t o a s p h a l t .

Other i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r s t h a t i n f l u e n c e t h e e l a s t i c s t r a i n
r e c o v e r y of a s p h a l t are t h e time and t e m p e r a t u r e of t h e d i g e s t i o n
of t h e r u b b e r i n t h e a s p h a l t m i l l .

S e v e r a l companies, i n a d d i t i o n t o c o n v e n t i o n a l equipment
v e n d o r s , lease r i g h t s t o r e p o r t e d l y s u p e r i o r t i r e p r o c e s s i n g
technology.
P r o c e s s r e v e n u e and c o s t estimates from selected
companies are i n c l u d e d a t t h e end of t h i s a p p e n d i x .
Equipment
prices v a r y w i d e l y d e p e n d i n g upon h o u r l y p r o c e s s i n g c a p a c i t y and
Other f a c t o r s important i n c o n s i d e r i n g
manufacturing f e a t u r e s .
equipment c o s t i n c l u d e e n e r g y and o t h e r r e s o u r c e u s e and
maintenance.
T i r e shredders are p r i c e d from $60,000 t o $150,000.
Other
p r o c e s s i n g , c o n v e y i n g , a n d p a c k a g i n g equipment, e x c l u d i n g g r i n d e r s
f o r f i n e mesh, can be e x p e c t e d t o c o s t $90,000 t o 120,000

24

FIGURE 2
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ELASTIC RECOVERY AND BULK DENSITY

0 Synthetic Rubber
0 Natural Rubber

\a

Natural &lubberh

-0.94)

Bulk Density (kg/m3)

Source:

J. Oliver, Optimizing the Improvements Obtained by

the Digestion of Comminuted Scrap Rubbers in Paving
Asphalts Australian Road Research Board,
Nunawading, Victoria, Australia, 1982.
25

(Burdic and Dewan, 1984).

$100,000

or more.

Grinders can be expected priced at

The ambient processing of steel-belted tires has a hi h

equipment-maintenance cost.
The Energy Recovery System (ERS ,
Inc., proposal quotes a figure of $100,000 per year in maintenance
for the production of 8.4 million pounds of both shredded and
crumbed rubber.
This figure is considered high, at nearly 20
percent of the cost of machinery.

7!

Cryogenic hammer mills range in price from $50,000 to

depending on the hammer size and the capacity of the
unit.
The freezing units range in price from $250,000 to
$350,000.
Cryogenic processing appears to lose any cost
competitiveness when the price of liquid nitrogen (LIN), consumed
in the procesing of each tire, is considered. Estimates as high
as 2.5 cents per pound of tire are common for the cost of LIN
consumed. Assuming a production of 8.4 million pounds, as in the
above ambient assessment, a yearly cost of $210,000 for LIN is
projected ($18,000 per year maintenance),
$100,000,

Just recently, one firm announced plans to market a complete

system for the ambient processing of passenger tire f o r $500,000.
The system will be able to process up to 500 tires an hour.
However it is not clear how small the processing equipment is able
to reduce the tire.
Indications are that, at best, only 33
percent of the total output will be ground to a smaller mesh, and
that most of the product will be sized to be combusted as fuel.
'.

The following section gives various cost estimates and

economic data for crumb rubber facilities. This data demonstrate
the wide variations in cost given by experts and system vendors.

26

PROFORPIA STATHIYEXT OF

1st Year
6,000

12,000

89,100

162,000

1,200

1,200

F l a n n e d P r o d u c t i o n t o Sales (16s)

7,900

160,900

?lanned Sales Crumb R u b b e r 9C/lb.-Avcrage ( S ' s )

7,911

14,472

2,100

4,200

486

972

1,800

3,600

6,003

6,912

L.

6,294

16,332

3,462

8,982

P l a n n e d Scrap T i r e C o l l e c t i o n ( U n i t s )

fOO0)

Planned P r o d u c t f on Crumb R u b b e r ( l b s )
P l a n n e d . P r o d u c t i o n to I n v e n t o r y

y f r e C o l l d c t i o n gees

(fbs)

($'SI

scrap Steel Sales I S ' S )

R e t r e a d a b l e C a s i n g Sales ($'SI
Projected Operating Costs

Met Proff t or (Loas) I S ' S )

($'SI

Taxes

7,350

A f t e r T a x Profit
C a p r e c i a t i o n {add Back1

Cash F l o w

Source:

*, .

2 3 6 Year

S t e v e Burdic, Small Farms Action Group,

Lincoln, Nebraska

723
,
3,303

8,070

P'LaMed Scrzp Tiye C o l l e c t i o n

(units 1
(000)
Production C ru mb Rubber
ajInventory ( l b s ) (000)
( l b s ) (000)
b)Sales
S a l e s Crumb Rubber
Avg. th$O.Og/lb. $(OOO)
S d e s Scrap S t e e l

(000)

Sales Retreadable Casings (000)

Sub Total Income (000)
3ecs for T i r e C o l l e c t i o n (000)

Total Income (000)

P r o j e c t e d Operating Costs
Compensation (000)
Operating (000)
Interest* (0001
Principal Pay Back** (000)
DcpreciatAon # * *(0001
T o t z l Costs (QOO)

200
400
200
2,700 2,700 5,400
100
100
100
100
2,600 2,600 2,600 5J30

400

200

2,700

400

5,400 5.400
100
100
5,300 5 , 3 0 0

2 3 4 ' 234

234

477

477

b77

40

41

40

41

40

41

150

150

150

150

150

150

424

425

424

668

567

568

70

70

70

140

140

140

494

495

494

aoa

807

aoa

a2
260
69

82
260

260

26

26

25

76

76

260

260

260

69

69

21

21

N e t P r o f i t or(Loss) (000)

44

45

44

342

341

242

T a x e s * + % * (000)

24

25

24

188

187

188

After Tax Profit (000)

20

20

20

154

154

154

'

76

69

69

82

69

Depreclztlon (Add Back)(000)

Cash Flow

24

24

(000)

Notes *Calculated at 1 S i y w ~ r a.
**Comput8d a t 15 Yrs. b v 8 l Pay W i l d i n g and
Lanc-7 Yrs. &Machineryand W e - m e n t

***Computed on Building S t r l i g h t Una

10 Y:r.
7 Y r s . .Uchinery and Equisment

***wTwes a t 55%

so

ve ' B u r h c , Sm&1

ncoln, Nebraska

i o n Group

24

29

29

29

'

8.

7
600
8,100
100
8,000

- a

600'
8,100

'600
8,100

100
8,000

100
8,000

720

720

720

40

41

40

11

12

1,206

1;206

1,206

41

40

150
910

911.

910

210

210

210

1J 1 2 O

1,121 1,120

1,676

1,677

117

106
260

106
260

69

-+

69

69

42

42

42

599

600

599

330

330

330

612

612.

269

270

269

500

501

44

44

44

60

60

313

314

313

560

561

106
260

TOTAL 1st Yr.

10

'260
17

260

69
..

69
58

58

1,112

7,911

I4

1,206

1,206

41

486

81

81

150

1,800

300

300

280

2,100

129
260

1 29
26C

1,677 12,297

117
260
69

1,143
3,120

828
441

1,361 1,361

1,113

29

13

748

749

613

612

.60

60

673

672

. .

. 15

16

17

19

18

21

20

23

22

TOTAL
2nd

21:

'

000 1 2 , 0 0 0
1 ,000 1,000
1,000 1,000
162,060
13.,500
13,500
13:500
?3;500 13,500 i3 a 500 13,500 13,500
100
1;200
100
100
100
1.00
100
100
100
13 400 13 ,400 13 J 4 O o 13 J 4 O o 13,400 13,400 13,400 13,400 160,800

1,000

1,206

1,206

1,206

1,206

1,206

1,206

1,206

81

81

81

81

81

81

81

81

972

300

300

300

300

300

300

300

300

3, g c

1 , 5 8 7 .1,587

1 ,587

1,587

1 ,587

1 ,587

1 ,587

1,587

1g,ou

350

350

350

350

350

350

350

350

4,200

1,937

1,937

1,937

1,937

1 ,937

1,937

1,937

1,937

23,24a

129

129
260

129
260
69
58
60

129
260
69

129

58

1 29
260
69
58

60

60

12 9
260
69
58
60

260

69
58

69
58
60

572;

260

--

69
58'
60

l,i06

14,472

1,206

129
260
69

58

60

576

'\

361

1 ,361

1,363.

1,361

1,361

1,361

1,361

748

749

748

749

748

749

748

749

613

612

613

612

613

612

613

612

60

60

60

60

60

60

60

673

672

673

672

673

672

No provision for Investment tu c r e d i t

30

- 1
1

361

673 .

-1 a

'

60

672

-,548

3 ,120
828
696

720

6,912

1) TIRE STATXSTICS :

2)

BREAKDOWN OF RUBBER PARTICLES

20

80.00%
10.00%

10.00%
630, 000
. $0.40
5.00%
$2.50
5,600,000
2, 800, 000

0.06

0.12
1,050 8 000
0.0125

3
-1

66 2/3%

33 V3%

3)

ReJTPERm:.

$2 000

4)

EI&crRIcITypEREIoNIH:

$6,000

5 ) :-I

ON $400,000

6 ) WXES: 20
"L
PERmlT S K I D
PEWJENT SIWI-SKIILED
UNSKILLED
PERCENC YCVM

$60,000

$298 ,000

20 X 2
16 X 8
15,X 6
lOt,X 4

~40,000

l28,OOO

90,000
40,000

7)

m
=

$103 ,000

4 .

8 ) :-IM

3, 000
14
5
50
525,000

P E c m r s o B D A s ~
~ S O I D A s ~ I i L l B B E R

$20, 000

9 ) ANWALPEl333W INCREASES IN
?Es"s &

5.00%

"SES

10) DEPRExlIATIONSCHEDUIE:
SYFARSUNDER~
WPFECVIBIE BASE (95% OF
500,000 ASSUMES USING 1%)
475,000
PERCENT D ~ R E I A T E D : YEAR 1 15.00%

2
3

Source:

Energy Recovery Systems, fnc.,

Great Neck, New YorE

,

22.00%
21.00%

,.
t

TIRES :

OF TIRES
:
CASINGS
RUBBER GRANULES
CRUMB RUBBER
SALE OF STEEL

RECEIPT
SALE OF
SALE OF
SALE OF

---

TOTAL REVENUES

1,015

24
72

ELECTRICITY
INTEREST (NOTES)
DEPRECIATION
INSURANCE
SUPPLEES
FEES
WAGES :
SKILLED
SEMI -SKILLED
UNSKILLED
YOUTH

60

71
6
12
15
40

128
90
40

---

TOTAL WAGES

298

'

MAINTENANCE
MISCELLANEOUS
ROYAJiTZES
TOTAL EXPENSES

+, 100
\\

20

' 84

762
---

PRE-TAX INCOME
LESS:

252
78
336
336
13

253

TAXES

ADD BACK DEPRECIATION.

CASHFfXlW

71

208
Plr

32

ECONOMIC PROPOSAL

FOR
CRYOGENIC

TIRE RECYCLING FACILITY

Prepared by:

David C. Carroll
c

Applied Research and Developnrnt

Atr Products and Charntcals, Inc.

January 1982

33

PURPOSE

The purpose o f this information is to allow a prospective tire recycler to

evaluate its interest in cryogenically processing scrap automobile tires and

to develop the design criteria to meet their particular production require.

ments.

Equipment and operating cost estimates are included to facilitate

discussion o f system economics.

The cost information is not binding nor

representative of a performance guarantee. We would advise you .that this

inforktian is provided without any liability or responsibility on our part,
rnd Air Products makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee with respect
to the method for the processing of scrap automobile tires.

0 1981 A i r Products and Chemicals, Inc.

34

I. INTRODUCTION
The manufacture o f one ton o f v i r g i n synthetic rubber consumes 90-120
m i l l i o n BTU's o f energy.

Typically, over 90% o f t h i s input energy i s

i n the form o f raw oil-based feedstocks,

-- -

I n comparison, one ton o f

recycled rubber consumes only 2.1 m i l l i o n BTU's o f energy.

i n the U.S.

alone, over 3 m i l l i o n tons of rubber, i n the form o f scrap

t i r e s , are l i t e r a l l y "wasted".

This i s an energy equivalent t o over 30

n i l l i o n barrels o f o i l each year.

'

Each year

Right now--today--there

e x i s t uses

f o r recycled rubber t h a t would reduce v i r g i n rubber consumption, and

hence, reduce t h i s nation's o v e r a l l energy consumption.

Recycled or reclaim rubber i s not new.

It was once widely used i n the

rubber industry p r i o r t o the Second World War.

For years, rubber was

reclaimed from scrap t i r e s as a s u b s t i t u t e f o r expensive, imported

natural rubber.

Large, high horsepower' cracker m i 1Is were, used t o

remove the rubber from the f a b r i c reinforcement.

However,',with the
\

development o f synthetic rubber from inexpensive oil-based chemicals

during WW 11, the incentive t o reclaim t i r e rubber was l o s t as i t
offered no p r i c e advantage over v i r g i n synthetic rubber.

This s i t u -

a t i o n existed f o r over t h i r t y years.

Since OPEC and the winter o f 1973-74, however, a l l petrochemical compounds, i n c l u d i n g synthetic rubber, have escalated by as much as 400%,
o r roughly 30% per year.
increased dramatically.

The i n c e n t i v e t o recycle scrap rubber has now

Complicating t h i s economic environment , i s the

f a c t t h a t over 50% (soon t o go as high as 80%) of a l l t i r e s scrapped

0 1981 A i r Products and Chemicals, Inc.

35

each year are steel-belted radials.

Conventional t i r e rubber reclaiming,

which utilizes mechanical cracking and grinding equipment, cannot

process these steel-belted t i r e s without significant maintenance and

downtime
-. - costs.

The cryogenic process , however, leads t o d r i t t l e m e n t

of both the rubber

and

s t e e l , which results i n lower energy and main-

tenance requirements f o r the .process and t h u s offers a reliable,

economic method o f recovering tire rubber.

.Marketing crumb rubber as a rubber "extender" or f i l l e r is only one use

for t h e recycled material.

Other areas o f use include:

recreational

surfaces, soil conditioning, roofing materials and sealants, oil well

linings and potentially, by f a r , the largest use--as an additive t o
extend t h e l i f e of asphalt road surfaces.
make scrap t i r e s a scarce resource.

This application alone could

The nature of rubber-asphalt

development t o date w i l l be examined i n greater detail i n t h e summary

section o f this proposal.

'.' .

I t should be noted a t this p o i n t that other resource recovery options

for tires are available.

Burning of t i r e s t o recover fuel value (15,000

BTU/lb) or t i r e pyrolysis, whereby o i l (21-27.000 BTU/lb) and carbon

black are derived, are two such options.

Crumb rubber as a substitute

o r "extender" f o r v i r g i n rubber (45-60,000 BTU/lb) or used t o double

asphalt l i f e (2 x 18,000 = 36,000 BTU/lb), w i l l always be a "better"
option i n terms of maximizing energy recovery, and ultimately,. maximizing financial returns.

0 1981 Air

Products rnd Chemicals, Inc.

3C

..

Air Products developed this process to recover crumb rubber from tires,
built a pilot plant in 1975 to both demonstrate and refine the technology,
and began commercialization of the process in 1977 by-licensing a 3
tonne/ho.ur plant in the Netherlands.

Since that initial plant,

other facilities, worldwide, have come on-stream.

four

As a result o f our

continuing and growing production experience, we are constantly improving

and upgrading equipment design, fabrication and installation technology.
With our commitment to technology, and the potential opportunities in
'

tire recycling, we expect to make a major impact in the area of energy

and resource recovery.

11.

PROCESS DESCRIPTION
Cryogenic technology is not new to the rubber industry. The initial
work done in this area proved that it was technically feasible to

freeze, pulverize, and recover rubber in crumb form, but amst of the

early work did not efficiently utilize the liquid nitroged,coolant.

\

This resulted in relatively high liquid nitrogen consumpiion and a less

than attractive economic picture. However, recent technological developments in cryogenic freezing over the past five years have significantly
reduced the liquid nitrogen consumption, a major factor in making
cryogenic recycling of scrap tires economically viable.

A conceptual flow schematic for the process is shown in Figure 1. It

Is based on U.S. Patent 4,025,990.

0 1981 Air Products and Chemicals,

Inc.
37

mIYARY

CRYOGENIC SIXf"

....-.__

F
l
VIBRATORY

SECONDMY
STEEL

Secondary Steel- 0.4%

Optom.B'-

-2

- *

Cqo-CMng
44

Mesh

8.

- m.O%

3.9%

+IO Mesh

4.1 %

I9.0X

-K)+40 MmL

I-%

5.1 K

-40 Mesh

@.6%

ARO-6660

39

.,

The first step is presizing.

I n t h i s step, the t i r e s are reduced t o

pieces approximately 15 cm (6 inches) square.

T h i s i s necessary t o

reduce the overall size of the i n p u t and t o provide an increased bulk

density--of the t i r e sections being fed into the freezer.

T h i s increased

bulk density helps t o optimize the liquid nitrogen consumption, one o f

the factors i n reducing the Overall process costs.

The heart o f the system i s the freezing tunnel, specifically designed

.for processing tires.

The t i r e sections are cooled t o the p o i n t of

embrittlement; t h i s is generally between -6OOC (-76OF) and -1OOOC

(-148OF).

A t these temperatures the rubber passes through glass

transition and becomes brittle. In t h i s condition, the rubber can be

easily liberated as small particles from the netal bead, t i r e cord, and
steel belts.
8.

Liquid nitrogen is used as the cooling agent.

As a liquidtat cryogenic

temperatures, i t is easy to control and has a high cooling cbpacity

relative t o its cost.

The liquid nitrogen is injected i n t o the freezer

so as t o maximize the heat transfer between the nitrogen and the scrap
L

tires.

T h i s is accomplished by utilizing the boiling heat transfer i n

a liquid nitrogen spray zone and t h e convective heat transfer in an

I n the spray zone, the liquid nitrogen

extended fan-circulation zone.

is sprayed directly onto the surface o f .the scrap tires.

The liquid,

upon contacting the t i r e sections , is instantly vaporized, absorbing

its heat o f vaporization from the material being processed.

The cold

nitrogen gas is then recirculated by a series of fans which increase

0 1981 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

AA

(C)
the nitrogen gas velocity.

This increased gas velocity enhances the

convective heat transfer effect , thereby improving the overall freezer

efficiency.

The material, having passed through the freezer, is then

comminuted in the size reduction mill and the rubber is liberated from
the steel and fiber in a single operation.

After exiting the size reduction mill, the liberated material can be
magneti cal ly separated and screened into the various product streams.

There are many advantages to using a cryogenic system for recycling

scrap tires. One of the principal advantages is the flexibility
inherent in its design. The product streams generated can be easily
changed to accommodate sped fic product requirements simply by changing
any one o f a number o f interacting variables.

The operating temperature

of the freezer, and the retention time in the size reduction mill, are

two o f the most important operating parameters which can \alter the

'.

final product characterfttics significantly.

For example, the following graph demonstrates the effect operating

temperature has on the product streams.

Figure XI shows the particle

size distribution as a function of operating temperature. As the

operating temperature decreases from -35OC (-67OF) to -1OOOC (-148OF),
the percentage of the minus 4.00

50%.

l l l ~prbduct

increases from about 23% to

With this type o f information, the system can be tailored to meet

various particle size requirements.

Data on these aid other operating

parameters has enabled the system flexibility to be quantitatively

0 1981 Air Products m d Chemicals,

fnc.

FIG.

defined.

This data base can now be useh t o pinpoint the operating

conditions which y i e l d a s p e c i f i c product stream, thereby optimizing

the product outputs and economics o f the e n t i r e system.

For example,

rubber y i e l d can be traded o f f against rubber p u r i t y or a smaller

p a r t i c l e s i t e product can be obtained a t the expense o f an increased
operating cost.

Additional advantages o f a cryogenic system include the following:

1. The c a p a b i l i t y t o recover a high percentage o f the available

rubber.

Generally, 90 t o 95 percent o f the rubber i s recovered

w i t h a cryogenic system.

2.

The production of a crumb rubber t h a t i s v i r t u a l l y free o f f i b e r

and metal contaminants.

i
3.

The abilfty t o process both f a b r i c and steel-belted t i r e s without

bead removal.

This eliminates the c o s t l y and wasteful bead removal

step necessary i n some reclaiming operations.

I t has been estimated

t h a t as high as 8% of the available rubber i n a t i r e can be l o s t

i n t h i s operation.

4.

The a b i l i t y t o produce various mesh size p a r t i c l e s by varying the

operating 'parameters.

0 1981 A i r Products rnd Chemicals, Inc.

6'

d?

5.

A relatively simple system design with considerably lower horsepower

rcquirenrents as compared to non-cryogenic systems.

allow for lower maintenance and power costs.

This wi 11

Connected horsepower

requirements can be up to 50 percent lower than for non-cryogenic

systems.

6.

The possible sale o f high-purity steel which can be recovered.

7.

The possible sale or use of fiber as a fuel in waste heat boilers.

8. Low capital investment.

9. Completely non-polluting process.

The crmb rubber is virtually free o f fiber and steel contapinants. It

1s co&osed

of distinct rubber particles.

are entrapped in the rubber. This is

i>

No fiber o r stee filaments

result o f the complete liberation

obtained on impact of the embrfttled material in the sire reduction

mill.

The rubber recovered by the basic system would generally range in

particle size from 0 . 8 (20 mesh) to 8m (2 mesh), although most

particle sires can be produced by altering the operating parameters o f
the system or adding subsequent grinding steps.

0 1981 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

44

..

The steel obtained is contaminated with fiber and a very low percentage
of rubber.

Preliminary tests have shown that a relatively high-purity

steel can be obtained by burning the contaminants from the steel. This
suggests..-that the netal can be processed and recovered by low-grade
smelting operations.

The recovered fiber contains rubber of various particle sizes which

were trapped by the "nesting" effect of the fiber during separation.
'

One potential use that has been suggested is burning the fiber to
recover its heat value.

Again, although a small amount o f rubber is found in the by-product

streams, the overall rubber recovery can be maintained at an economically high level.

111.

CAPITAL COSTS

\.

The following page lists the equipment costs required to ret up either

a one or three tonne per hour processing facility. Total equipment

expenditures would be approximately $475,000 for the one tonne/hour
plant and $850,000 for the three tonne/hour facility.
To complete the cap4tal requi rements , one woul d require some mi scel 1 aneous

equipment (dust collection, conveyors, 'hoppers and packaging equipment)

-

that would cost an additional $100-200,000. Add to that Installation

costs which should run in the $100-200.000 range.

requirements would be for the

0 1981 A l r Products and Chemicals, Inc.

45

Remaining capital

and manufacturing building.

Total

TIRE

CRYOGENIC

PROCESSING

>

ASSET EXPENDITURES

Primary Line:
cost
Component

1 tonne/hr

3 tonne/hr
I

T i r e Shredder
Rotary De-stoner
Vibratory Feed Table
Freezing Tunnel
Hamemi 11
Primary Magnetic Separator
Fiber Removal Screen
Secondary Magnetic Separator
Rubber C l a s s i f i e r

TOTAL

$125,000 (200 hp)

29,400
8,900
130,000
36,700 (150 hp)
5,200
9,900
6,500
9 * 800

$159,000 (400 hp)

31,600
8,900
.
300,000
56,200 (500 hp)
9,600
13,200
13,400
13,300

$361,400

$605,200

Secondary l i n e :

cost

Camponent

1tonne/hr

3 tonne/hr

Granulator
CRYO-GRIND Units
Screener

$ 30,100

$ 42,900

TOTAL

61,100
20 000

183,300
27,600

$111 200

$253,800

15 July 1981

0 1981 Alr Products and C h m k a l s ,

Inc.
46

(C)
.
.

Cost Calculation

8.

1. Annual Production
(6600 lbs/hr)(20 hrs/day)(275 days/yr) = 36.3 million lbs

.. rubber

= 1.8 million tires

yield = 67%

... (36.3)(.67)

= 24.3 million lbs crumb rubber per year

2. Direct Costs
Primary 41 Secondary
(all 30 mesh)
LIN
Labor

Power
Maintenance
Total

$2 616.000
369 ,000
143$000
125,000

915,000

237,000
110 ,000

76,000

$3 ,253 ,UO/yr

$1,338,000/yr

Total direct
Mfg. Cost/lb

3.

13.4 C/lb

5.5 a/lb

Indirect (Overhead) Expenses

Administrative Mgr.
$ 35,000
Marketing/Sales (2 persons) 50,000
Secretary/Cl erica1
20,000
Salary-re1ated Expenses
30,000
WI
30,000
Taxes/Insurance
40,000
Legal/Accounti ng
35,000
Supp 1 i es
10.000
Telephoneflravel
50,000

i
,

$300 ,000/yr

4. Total Costs
30 mesh

2-20 mesh

Direct
Indirect-

$.055/lb

Total

$. 067/1 b

,012

0 1981 A I r Products and Chemicals, Inc.

.ol2
$. 134

$. 14611b

V.

PROJECT

FINANCIAL RETURNS

Case 1:

- selling -10
mesh primarily to asphalt market:
rnct 067A b
$.

selling @%:l2/1b

(F.O.B. factory, or $.14-$.15/lb

8 user's location)

- $2.25
million investment (incl. non-depreciable land)
$250,000 working capital
- discounted
cash flow (15 year model)
year 0: ($2,500,000)
revenue
.vear n: $2,916,000
1 728 000 costs
--

PBT (profits before tax)

594 000 TAX

PAT

100 000 depreciation

cash f l o w per year

+e

- ROI (internal rate of return) = 27.0%

Note:

sale of steel and fiber not included in revenues

Case 2:

>

- selling 50%
50% -10 mesh
-30 mesh sell ing

cost

@ $.120/lb.
8 $. 190/lb
@ $. 146/lb

- $2.4
million invesfment
$300,000 working capital
- discounted
cash f l o w
year 0: ($2,700,000)
year n:

$3,767,000 revenue
2 703 000 costs

1,064,000 PET
532 000 TAX
PAT

115 000 depreciation

- -$
cash flow per year

- ROI 22.9%
0 1981

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

48

VI.

SUMARY/CONCLUSIONS
Aside from the obvious environmental and ecological benefits o f t i r e
recycling t o society i n general, the potential financial rewards are
dependent on the markets present f o r crumb rubber.

Sourcing t i r e s is

no obstacle and in most cases will provide revenues t o significantly

offset manufacturing costs.

not uncown.

Disposal fees of over $1.00 per t i r e are

The process i s proven and reliable.

The key question

remains as t o whether markets (for rubber) exist i n volume and a t

profitable prices f o r the recycler.

In 1979, total rubber consumption i n the U. S. was approximately 3,100,000

metric tons.

O f that volume, 25% was imported natural rubber (priced @

$.70-$.80 per pound), 72% was synthetic (priced 8 $.45-$.60 per pound)

and 3% was reclaimed rubber.

Over 65% of that consumption was dedicated

t o t i r e and inner' tube manufacture.

For the next 3-5 years, the t i r e

t

industry w i l l not be the highest-growth market f o r recycle'd rubber. .

3

A1 1 major t i r e manufacturers have integrated backward f n t o captive

synthetic rubber manufacture. Because of OPEC and U. 5. drivers' reduced

amount of highway travel, auto production and hence t i r e manufacture

have been stagnant for the past 5 years.

As a result, synthetic rubber

plants are running a t extremely l o w capacity u t i l i z a t i o n rates.

This,

coupled w i t h the nature of long-term (10-20 year) taki-or-pay feedstock

--

contracts, leads t o very l i t t l e incentive f o r t i r e companies t o make o r

use recycled t i r e rubber.

Non-tire companies, however, are not insulated

0 1981 Air Products and Chemfcals, Inc.

49

from the skyrocketing p r i c e o f synthetic elastomers. Therefore, assuming

conservatively t h a t these companies can replace 510% o f t h e i r materials
with recycled rubber, we are looking a t a market, within the rubber
7

i n d u s t u ; o f 100-200 m i l l i o n pounds per year (5-10 cryogenic plants).

I n a more l i k e l y scenario, the p o t e n t i a l asphalt end market f o r crumb

rubber could l i t e r a l l y make scrap t i r e s a scarce resource.

The two (2)

attached papers d e t a i l the successful work completed i n Canada using

crumb rubber i n the hot mix asphalt/aggregate formulation.

This i s one

o f two basic approaches where the rubber i s mixed i n t o the aggregate

f i r s t p r i o r t o addition o f asphaltic cement.

This approach appears the

simpler o f the two, requires no special equipment or procedure, and i t

works.

I n terms o f the hot mix, roughly 1-24; by weight would be rubber.

I f 102% o f a l l hot mix consumed i n t h i s country were rubber, i t would

-per year.

require the recycling o f 400 m i l l i o n t i r e s

Inci$entally, the

other approach, pioneered i n Arizona by Sahuaro Asphalt and, Petroleum,

nixes the rubber d i r e c t l y i n t o the asphaltic cement p r i o r t o spraying

as a top seal coat.

The seal coat does s i g n i f i c a n t l y extend asphalt

l i f e , b u t there appears t o be some constraints i n the mixing and

spreadi ng o f t h i s rubber/asphal t blend.

Much o f the development work i n the United States and Canada remains i n
t h e evaluation stage.

Some o f the states t h a t seem t o be more progressive

i n t h i s area are Connecticut, South Dakota, Minnesota, California,

0 1981 A i r Products and Chemicals, Inc.

50

Colorado, Utah, Ohio, Hic,,igan and obviously Arizona, as well as a l l

t h e Canadian provinces.

Political and governmental inertia ~ $ 1 1be

obstacles t h a t w i l l take time t o overcome.

As a few states begin t o

s p e d fy-.rubber/asphal t , the effect shoul d "snowball. I'

I t remains f o r each prospective recycler t o evaluate the potential

market f o r crumb rubber.

Once the decision i s made, Air Products w i l l

license the cryogenic process t o a recycler f o r a one-time fee of

.$25,000.

W
e t h e n would provide a l l process equipment specifications,

as well as providing the cryogenic freezer. Air Products, and t h e

other process equipment vendors, w i 11 provide equipment and performance
guarantees.

Air Products does not guarantee the equipment of other

vendors. Air Products does not physically install the process.

We

would work w i t h your general contractor or engineering firm to design

t h e layout o f t h e plant, provide supervisory assistance during Snstal-

lation, and provide start-up assistance when required.

And most

importantly, we w i l l work w i t h your firm on an ongoing prodktion and

service basis to insure your plant runs a t optimum efficiency, t h u s
insuring our success as well as yours.

0 1981 A i r Products and Chemicals, Inc.

51

18 Rubber & Plmtica " W m Oct. 12.1981

Tire recycling-profit center

for the 198(
J

R Tu"&

By

Ne&-

Ca he.
In 1980, more than 200 million domestic automobile and truck tires wore out
and were dispoeed of in some way. Only
15 percent were retrended and uded
again. The remaining 170 million tires.
which ~ ~ ~ t i t u4.24
t e Jb&n
m d s of
valuable matarid, were. for au' practical
Purposes. lost to our economy.
are
At a time when raw materidescalating and energy is in short supply,
this set)ms to be anincrediblewa&,eof an
d y " a b l e resourca To put the
situation more positively, the availability
of these tires represents one of the most
* '
ofthe
important new profit opcoming decade for recyclers.

End usThe potential value of scrap tires can

be best understood by conaidering how
the mafariaia in them can b e d Athough whole tires are already used for
the -oc
'on of man-made ocean
reefs,highway barricades and aa landfill,
these buildingblock types of utilization
do not represent the most profitable diapoaition of the valuable rubber. metal and
fiberspresent in every 25pound tira
One of the moat promising uses is the
conversion of scrap rubber tires into oil
with a heating capacity similar to that of
NO. 2 fuel oil. This process, wbich is BS.
sentially one that USBS heat to pyrolyze
the tires, also yields deable carbon
black. steel and fiber. Eight d o n auto
tires (200million pounds of tire materiaU
can produce 16 miliion @OM
of oiL 73
millionparndsofcarbonblacLand2miE
lion pounds of staed.
Let's look at these figures'from the
perspectivaofasingietire. Onetirecan
be converted into about two gallons of oil
which as of thia writing is worth about
12.50. The carbon black from a
tire
can also be extracted in addition to the
steel value. Although nominal f % Ib. per
tire), it adds up in the aggregate for
major users of tire scrap.
The big uaen in thia decade will be the
tire manufacturers, since the
icala and other materials in merely four
tires are sufficient to produce a new tire.
otha important usw include the gem
eration of steam poner; pmduction of aap u t for highways and r o o k , artificial
g " ~th~moset
.
plastic fillers,solid conditioners: filters; and animrl mattresses.
The metals, fabric and foretat fiber mmvered from recycled tires represents additional potential Uaea.
But for the r e q d @ gindFtry, the bottom line is the Value ofthe i l ~ a thatp
bproduosd from a tire. At current *.
muai.b,o ~ l etire is typically worth a
"um
of $2.10 to ultimate -.

Twestage recycling
Except for caee~~
where whole tires are
recycling is a twegtage process.
The first stage is mechanical size reduc
tion. which means essentially that tires
are reduced to small pieces. Besides making it easier to store and ship old tires to
buyers, mechanical size reduction can include provisions for separating metals,
cloth and other materials from the rubber.
It is this fkst stage of the recycling
process that has a great deal of profit POtmtial for dealers in metal, paper and the
manifold scrap inherent in a tire.
The second stage of recyding is of interest to scrap dealers primarilyin tarms
of their potential customer requirements.
To date,thslargest potential user8 of tire
scrap am tire companies, because they
canusethexrap tire in themanufacture
of new tires. A second important market
for tire scrap am the companies going
into the production of synthetic fueIa h
ducers of highway coatings and roofing
sbiagles are also a potential market,
Some muniapaiitk have begun to incinerate tirescrap asa fuel for direct generation of staam.
overall.the important considerationis
that the matkets for tire scrap are expanding, the price is going up concomitant with the price of oil (as mentioned
befora, evwy tire! has, among O t h e r materiala two @OM
of valuable oil awaiting*
andasofyetthereare
very few dealem set up to supply thia
high p f i t market.

M.c)#nhl s b reduction
The sim~lest. most econornicai and
most popular typeof size reduction equipment is the shredder, whch producestire
scraD that is homoneneous and m a shred
form. Some types of shredder systems
h a v e t - i n provisions for separating
the varied composites of a tire such
metal or fiber componeats.
Table I shows the type of tire recycling.
system that is well adapted for use by 1%
cycling hrms now handling metal, cloth
and other commodities.
"ires are placed on a belt conveyor
that carries them to and dMmrgea them
into a s M & . The compoeitea of the
shredded h a m then mparatedand the
purged rubber in then fed into a granulator,which further d u c s s the size of the
scrap to a uniform gmnulata in the 10
mesh range.
From this point oa the tire scrap is
conveyed through the systam in a dilute
air stream. It is then discharged in a cyclonic/separator through an air winnowing device powered by a material handlingfaadrawingofffiberfromthegranulated mi. into a separate container. A
grab magnet prevents any m d chips
from contaminating the mbber particu.
late.

Where am the t h s ?
The 170 million tires not retreaded in
1980 were available in just about every
part of the country virtually for the taking. At nearly every spot where trash of
any kind is dumped-either ofticially or
informaily-tires comprise a highly
viaible ingredient of the trash pile. More
over, tires removed f"automobilea and
trucka for replacement with new tires are
often not suitabie for rehading.
Clearly. the tires are available in quan.
ti@.The same procedun# that are used
for the collectian of other types of recyclable materials are readily adaptable to
collectingold tires.The price paid for old
tires by therecydingfirm will. of course,
be establjahed by market supply and d e
mand COnditioIla.

Ecmmicr d tlm ncycmg

Thecost of the system shown in Table I
is $493,680. The cost of instaUation is
674,800. The system is capable of reducing 126 t h an hour into 2205 pounds of
saleable scrap rubber plus steel and fiber.
Table I1 is an economic analysis of the
" m d n v e s t m e n t produced by the
sy8tan. It asmlmea that a a e n t scrap
tires are available to keep the system in
operation 16 hours a day, five days a
week, 50 w q h a year. The payback period aa detailed in Table 11. shows that by
the fourth yetar a subatantiai profit is attpinedf

Ths time to-recycle is now!

iee T a b l e I and I1
iext page

--

52

Reap profits from old tires

NOTE: calculations do not inciude additionai inmmn attained tram d e of the
fibrous bypmduct of q m a t b .

Caiculetion Assumptians: Estimated

inflation rate of 10 pemsnt psr year.
IO-year life! spna of equipment with a
1
0
m
depreciation,dotabla dedtning on
balana, for equipment. Avsrags plssengerthweigila 2s PounQeSch.
working capital is d u d 011 accounts
receivable with a &day pay period and
inventory turnover of five timea a year.

FY1
S1.056.4OO.OO

3.906.00
Sl.0(12,403.00

FY2

FY3

FYI

S1.058.4OO.00 $1,280.664.00 $1,408.730.40 $1.549.603.401

4.297.00
4.726.70
5.199.37
5.719.31,
$1,168.537.00 $1,285,390.70 $1.413.929.77 S1.555.322.71
(-787.380.00l [-866.118.00] (452.729.801 (-1.048.002.80]
[ 93,356.801 [ 74,685.441 [ 59.74.3sl [ 47,798.681
287.800.20
344.587.26
401,451.62
459.521.32
138.144.09
165,401.88
192.698.78
220.570.23
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0138,144.09 . 165,401.88
192,696.78
220.570.23
149.656.1 1
179.185.38
208.754.84
238.951.09
93,356.80
74.685.44
59.748.35
47.798.6a
243,012.91
253.870.82
268.503.1 9
286.749.77
-0-0.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-

(-715,8OO.Oo]
[116.696.00]
229.81 0.00
110,308.80
58.348.00
58.348.00
Adl. Inc. Tax
-0M A R Tax
229.810.00
Deprsaram
ii6.6~.00
Cash FlowlAmun
346.506.00
[-583.480.00]
prlmry hwest
warking WU
[.305.000.00]
Total Incam
(886.480.00]
Cunulatlw Fiow
[541.974.p0] [*298,961.09] [- 43490.271
~"~mmotmt":ip"t
Wwsulyklsreholr&mw
I

53

FY4

223.412.92

510,162.69

APPENDIX D
END-USE OPTIONS AND HARKET ASSESSMENT
The main c o n c e r n i n s i t i n g a crumb rubber p l a n t i s t h e
a b i l i t y t o market t h e crumb r u b b e r p r o d u c t .
A maJor i n f l u e n c e i n
market p e n e t r a t i o n w i l l be t h e s t a t u s o f v i r g i n r u b b e r p r o d u c e r s
A g l u t t e d market would
and c u r r e n t s t o c k s o f r u b b e r r e s e r v e s .
n a t u r a l l y l e a d t o lower p r i c e s f o r a l l forms o f r u b b e r r e s o u r c e s .
The market f o r r e c y c l a b l e s t e e l , g l a s s ,
or paper products
f l u c t u a t e s w i t h t h e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e general economy and t h e i r
i n d i v i d u a l markets f o r v i r g i n r e s o u r c e s .
The same v a r i a b l e s can
be expected f o r recycled rubber.

I n recent y e a r s , s y n t h e t i c r u b b e r p r o d u c e r s have been

I n 1984, monthly p r o d u c t i o n f l u c t u a t e d
o p e r a t i n g below c a p a c i t y .
from 160,000 t o n s i n J u n e t o a h i g h o f 193,000 t o n s i n A p r i l .
Output o f s y n t h e t i c r u b b e r has been r i s i n g i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s ,
b u t c u r r e n t l y a t h a l f t h e r a t e of 1984. O v e r a l l , t h e demand f o r
r u b b e r i n t h i s c o u n t r y i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d a s h i g h by i n t e r n a t i o n a l
s t a n d a r d s ; however, t h e t r e n d h a s slowed c o n s i d e r a b l y i n recent
months.
T h e r e i s a c o n s i d e r a b l e d i f f e r e n c e between t h e c o s t of
s h r e d d i n g a t i r e and t h a t o f p u l v e r i z i n g a t i r e t o a 60-mesh d u s t .
The f o l l o w i n g d i s c u s s i o n i l l u s t r a t e s t h i s d i f f e r e n c e . For each of
t h e f o l l o w i n g items, v a l u e i s d e f i n e d as t h e d i f f e r e d c e between

p r o d u c t price and p r o c e s s i n g c o s t .

The highest v a l u e f o r d i s c a r d e d t i r e s i s as used t i r e s .

Only i n v e n t o r y and h a n d l i n g c o s t s are i n v o l v e d . The v a l u e o f t h e
p r o d u c t i s comparable t o t h a t o f a carcass s u i t a b l e f o r
retreading.
R e c y c l i n g t h e d i s c a r d s a s retreads i s t h e second
highest value.
Following whole-tire uses, t h e use of t i r e s i n t h e s p l i t t i n g
i n d u s t r y represents t h e t h i r d h i g h e s t v a l u e .
S p l i t t e r s cut t h e
t i r e carcass f r e e from t h e bead and t r e a d , l e a v i n g a s t r o n g f a b r i c
r e i n f o r c e d s h e e t t h a t i s d i e - c u t i n t o a v a r i e t y of p r o d u c t s .
Crumb r u b b e r i s t h e f o u r t h r a n k i n g v a l u e for t h e r e c y c l i n g of
tires.
The v a l u e o f crumb r u b b e r and t h e c o s t of
p r o d u c i n g t h e d i f f e r e n t s i z e s o f t h e crumb v a r i e s depending on t h e
u l t i m a t e use.
A s p o t check o f p r i c e s f o r crumb r u b b e r from t h e
G 6 n s t a r p l a n t i n C h a n d l e r , A r i z o n a , q u o t e d 13-cents-per-pound FOB
for 13-mesh p r o d u c t , r a n g i n g up t o 18 c e n t s f o r 30 mesh.
These
p r i c e s were r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of f a i r l y large w h o l e s a l e o r d e r s .
A p p l i c a t i o n s f o r t h e crumb e x i s t i n a v a r i e t y of i n d u s t r i e s , a l l
w i t h l i m i t e d markets.
To expand t h e s e markets, an a g g r e s s i v e
discarded

p o s i t i o n must
be
taken.
can p o t e n t i a l l y absorb a l l
processed.

of

The
the

application
c a n be

rubber-asphalt

crumb

rubber

that

O f similar v a l u e t o crumb r u b b e r used as a n a d d i t i v e i s crumb

rubber used as a n e n e r g y s o u r c e .
The a d v a n t a g e of b u r n i n g rubber
a s a f u e l i s t h a t i t c o u l d s a v e a c o n s i d e r a b l e amount o f f u e l o i l .
A d i s a d v a n t a g e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h i s u s e o f crumb r u b b e r i s a
low p r o f i t margin b e c a u s e of t h e n e c e s s i t y o f u n d e r p r i c i n g t h e
r e a d i l y and c h e a p l y a v a i l a b l e c o a l r e s o u r c e .
The u s e o f crumb r u b b e r t o produce reclaimed r u b b e r i s t h e
and l o w e s t v a l u e f o r t h e r e c y c l i n g o f d i s c a r d e d t i r e s
b e c a u s e of t h e e x t e n s i v e p r o c e s s i n g r e q u i r e d . Reclaimed r u b b e r i s
fifth

devulcanized.
One a s s e s s m e n t of t h e n a t i o n a l p o t e n t i a l f o r m a r k e t i n g crumb
rubber follows.

MARKET POTENTIAL FOR CRUMB RUBBER

( i n thousands of tons)

CURRENT
USAGE

USE

40

200

350

400

50

75

Roads
Reclaim

Rubber F i l l e r

Source:

5-YEAR
POTENTIAL

1st YEAR SALE

POTENTIAL

15

ERS, I n c .

The A s p h a l t Rubber P r o d u c e r ' s Group, a n a s s o c i a t i o n of

a s p h a l t - r u b b e r pavers, estimated t o t a l r u b b e r usage f o r r o a d s i n
1985 t o be 30-35,000 t o n s . T e x a s and C a l i f o r n i a used more t h a n 70
p e r c e n t of t h e material.
Bob S n y d e r , Technical D i r e c t o r of
U n i r o y a l , estimated t h a t t o t a l u s a g e o f crumb r u b b e r d i d n o t
exceed 50,000 t o n s i n 1985. Based on t h e s e l e s s o p t i m i s t i c market
estimates, t h e e n t i r e market f o r crumb r u b b e r consumed fewer t h a n
5 m i l l i o n t i r e s i n 1985.

55

RUBBER ADDITIVE FOR ASPHALT

Rubberized p a v i n g materials are marketed under a v a r i e t y o f
f o r m u l a t i o n s . F i g u r e 3 shows a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e f o r m u l a .
A
d i s t i n c t i o n i s made between a s p h a l t - r u b b e r and r u b b e r i z e d a s p h a l t .
A s p h a l t - r u b b e r i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d as h a v i n g a h i g h e r r u b b e r c o n t e n t ,
u s u a l l y 25 p e r c e n t o r more by w e i g h t , and i s a f l u i d , free of
a g g r e g a t e . I n comparison, r u b b e r i z e d a s p h a l t c o n t a i n s o n l y one t o
t h r e e p e r c e n t r u b b e r by weight, and i s mixed w i t h aggregate.
It
i s p r i m a r i l y used as a one- t o two-inch pavement.
Asphalt-rubber
i s used f o r a p l e t h o r a o f maintenance and p r e p a r a t i o n a p p l i c a t i o n s
s u c h as:
o

c h i p c o a t s and s e a l c o a t s

low-modulus
overlays

j o i n t and crack s e a l a n t

b i n d e r s f o r open-graded p o r o u s f r i c t i o n c o u r s e s

w a t e r p r o o f membranes

membranes

between

old

pavements

and

new

Alice S t a r c k e , N e w s E d i t o r f o r t h e N a t i o n a l Tire Dealer and

Retreader A s s o c i a t i o n Dealer N e w s , w r o t e i n a December 1984
a r t i c l e t h a t a n estimated 7 b i l l i o n scrap t i r e s c o u l d be r e c y c l e d
i n t o t h e c u m u l a t i v e 1.87 m i l l i o n miles of t h e n a t i o q a l highway
T h i s estimate i s
s y s t e m if t h e y were paved w i t h crumb r u b b e r ,
based on a n a s p h a l t - r u b b e r m i x t u r e o f three p e r c e n t by w e i g h t , and
an average n e t usable weight of 12-1/2 pounds of r u b b e r p e r t i r e .
The t o n n a g e o f a s p h a l t - r u b b e r n o t e d i s based on a 1 2 - f o o t wide
l a n e and a 2 - i n c h t h i c k pavement.
T h i s c o n s t i t u t e d a spread r a t e
of 18 s q u a r e y a r d s p e r t o n per i n c h o f t h i c k n e s s .

C r a f t c o I n c . of P h o e n i x , A r i z o n a , has s u c c e s s f u l l y marketed a
v a r i e t y o f a s p h a l t - r u b b e r s e a l a n t s and membranes used i n pavement
r e s t o r a t i o n and maintenance. Two membranes of p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t
are t h e Stress Absorbing Membrane (SAM) and t h e S t r e s s Absorbing
SAM i s a s u r f a c e t r e a t m e n t f o r r o a d s .
Membrane I n t e r l a y e r ( S A M I ) .
The a b i l i t y o f t h e r u b b e r matrix i n t h i s membrane t o a b s o r b and
d i s s i p a t e stress r e d u c e s r e f l e c t i v e c r a c k i n g .
SAMI i s a p p l i e d
u n d e r t h e r e s u r f a c i n g l a y e r . I t e n h a n c e s t h e bond between t h e two
a s p h a l t l a y e r s t o p r e v e n t m o i s t u r e damage and r e d u c e r e f l e c t i v e
c r a c k i n g from cracks i n t h e o l d bottom l a y e r t h r o u g h t o t h e new
surface layer.
The c i t y of P h o e n i x , A r i z o n a , has r e p o r t e d 13 y e a r s of
s u c c e s s on o v e r 100 p r o j e c t s u s i n g t h e SAM and SAMI p r o d u c t s .

56

Arizona Refining Company

Specification M 101-83

SPECIF-ICATION FOR ARM-R-SHIELD

TM

1.0

DESCRIPTION
is a mixture of asphalt cement, rubber extender o i l , and
ground rubber blended together at an elevated temperature in the manner,
proportions, and sequence herein described.

ARM-R-SHIELD

2.0

MATERIALS
2.1

MODIFIED ASPHALT CEMENT

The asphalt cement shall be a mixture of asphalt and rubber extender
oil combined to form a material that is chemically compatible with
the rubber.

2.2

RUBBER
8.

The rubber shall be a dry, free flowing blend

Composition.
of powdered reclaimed scrap tire rubber and ground vulcanized
rubber. The exact proportions will be determibed by our
laboratory to maximize the end properties of t* product with
the rubber available in the area.
1

b.

C.

d.

e.

Purity,
The rubber shall contain no more than a'trace of
fabric, and shall be free of vire and other contaminant
materials except that up to 4 percent of a dusting agent
such as calcium carbonate or talc may b e included to p_revent
the rubber particles from sticklng together.

Size.

The rubber shall contain no particles larger than 10

mesh or exceeding 0.250 inches in length.

Natural Rubber. The blended tubber compound will contain by

weight a minimum of 25 percerit: natural rubber (ASTM D-297).
The ground rubber type8 shall consist of one or a
Type.
blend of the types indicated below. The ground rubber types
shall meet the following gradatioas:

57

*
Specification M 101-83

Percent Passing
Sieve Size

Type I

Type 11

Type I11

No. 8

3.00
100
95-100

100
100
95-100

25-50

25-45

100
100'
85-100
25-SO
10-45
0-10
0-5

No.
No.
No.
No.
No,
No.

2.3

10
16
30
50

5-15
0-10

100
200

0-5

EXTENDER OIL

0-10
0-10
0-10

Extender oil shall be a resinous, high flash point aromatic

hydrocarbon meeting the following test requirements:
Viscosity, SUS (4 lOOoF (ASTM D-88)
Flash Point, COC,
OF (MTM D-92)
Molecular Analysis
(ASTM 1)-2007)
Asphaltenes, X by weight
Aromatics, X by weight
3.0

2500 min.
390 min.

'

0.1 max.
55.0 min.

ASPHALT-RUBBER BLEND
The rubber and modified asphalt shall be combined in a ratio of 20
rubber to 80 + 2% asphalt by weight and reacted for a sufficient
produce a product with the follo ng properties:
time at 400 25'F-to

+ 2%

+.

Viscosity at 400F
Softening Point (R.& B)
Flex Temperature (900 Bend Test)

1000 cps +ax.

l.ZCPP min.'
F
'
0
2
ma.

In the event a delay occurs when the product is ready t o be applied,

the heat shall be turned off until the job resumes.

'
I
,

58

They were developed in Phoenix, and have been extensively tested

there. Between 1971 and 1979, the city has paved 57 miles of road
with asphalt-rubber and evaluated the pavements periodically,
continuing to the present. Conclusions are, "The asphalt rubber
performed its principal function of preventing reflection of
fatigue-type cracking in sub-layers and shrinkage cracking of soil
The most common defect noted in this survey was a
cement
loss of cover aggregate in non-traffic areas
There is a
need to maintain close liaison concerning construction procedures
with distributors, chip spreaders, and rollers.f1 (Schnormeier,
1979)
Reports of the successful use of rubber-asphalt are
widespread in Arizona. The main advantages of the product are its
reduce reflective cracking from distressed under-pavement, and its
ability to reduced the need f o r surface maintenance. "The main
advantage of the asphalt-rubber treatment has been virtually
complete cessation of surface maintenance other than for utility
cuts. This is remarkable in view of the fact that many of these
pavements required daily maintenance and the treated projects are
now up to 11 years old.
reflection of aligator cracking is
only occasional and the cracks do not spa11 o r deteriorate to
potholes due to the interlying of the rubber particles"
(Schnormeier, 1979).

....

....

....

Dr. Jack Stephens, a professor of civil engineering at the

University of Connecticut, performed a comprehensive series of
tests on the efficiency of using crumb rubber in various types of
pavement
applications.
His
research was
performed
in
collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Transportation,
with funding assistance from the Federal Highway Bukeau.
The
study resulted from laboratory tests indicating that, reclaimed
rubber added to asphalt-paving mixes significantly imhroved the
properties of the mixes. The four objectives of the research were
to test modified asphalt in:
1) overlays, 2) stress-relieving
interlayers, 3 ) seal coats, and 4 ) joint seals.
The report found that both temperature and loading forces
culminate in deformation at cracks. These forces must be borne by
the overlays, o r reflective cracking occurs.
The addition of
reclaimed rubber increases the flexibility of the mix through two
different mechanisms. The modified asphalt is less sensitive to
temperature, and a softer grade can be used. Equally important,
however, is the increased binder-film thickness. Distributing the
deformations into a greater volume of mix is another approach to
delaying reflection cracks.
An overlay that bonds to the old
pavement must accept and absorb the deformation at each crack into
the volume of material above.
The use of a soft interlayer
between the old surface and a new overlay distributes the bending
deformation into a larger volume of the overlay, thereby reducing
the stress level (Stephens, 1983).

59

Adding crumb r u b b e r t o a s p h a l t i n c r e a s e s t h e a s p h a l t
T h i s i s e s p e c i a l l y t r u e under
t o u g h n e s s as t h e material a g e s .
h i g h - t r a f f i c c o n d i t i o n s , w h i c h e x e r t p r e s s u r e on t h e pavement.
P i g g o t and Woodhams h y p o t h e s i z e t h a t a slow i n t e r a c t i o n o f t h e
a s p h a l t w i t h t h e r u b b e r l e a d s t o i n c r e a s e d v i s c o s i t y and t o
improved performance under h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e s , m i n i m i z i n g pavement
d i s t o r t i o n s from heavy t r a f f i c and h o t weather.
Good s t r e n g t h
r e t e n t i o n under m o i s t c o n d i t i o n s is a n o t h e r q u a l i t y o f t h e rubber
asphalt.
T h i s may o c c u r b e c a u s e of t h e a n t i o x i d a n t and vulcani z i n g a g e n t s p r e s e n t i n t h e t i r e r u b b e r ( P i g g o t and Woodhams,
1979).
A d d i t i o n a l s t r e n g t h and d e n s i t y is r e p o r t e d w i t h t h e
i n c r e m e n t ( o n e t o three p e r c e n t ) o f bitumen b i n d e r when crumb
r u b b e r i s added ( A l l S e a s o n s S u r f a c i n g Corp.).
The F e d e r a l A v i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n (FAA) h a s g i v e n i n i t i a l
a p p r o v a l t o t h e u s e o f crumb r u b b e r on l a n d i n g s t r i p s .
In its
e n g i n e e r i n g brief Number 22, t h e agency s t a t e s , " C o n s i d e r a b l e
research h a s been u n d e r t a k e n by v a r i o u s a g e n c i e s and s u p p l i e r s and
more w i l l be n e c e s s a r y b e f o r e a s p h a l t - r u b b e r m i x e s c a n be
incorporated i n t o our c o n s t r u c t i o n standards.
The t e c h n o l o g y i s
s u f f i c i e n t l y a d v a n c e d , however, t o u s e t h e material on a
case-by-case basis f o r t h e following a p p l i c a t i o n s :

1.

S u r f a c e t r e a t m e n t s s u c h as s e a l c o a t s and c h i p c o a t s .

2.

Membranes between e x i s t i n g
reduce r e f l e c t i o n cracking.

3.

Binders
n.d.1.

for

open-graded

pavements

mixes"

(Fed.

and

overlays

A v i a t on

to

Admin.

I n t e r i m s t a n d a r d s have been p r e p a r e d f o r a i r p o r t a u t h o r i t i e s
d e s i r i n g t o u s e rubber-asphalt f o r p u r p o s e s l i s t e d above. The FAA
e n c o u r a g e s i t s u s e t o promote t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f pavements f o r
f u t u r e t e s t i n g and o b s e r v a t i o n .
S e a l i n g Cracks

Dr. S t e p h e n s ' research on j o i n t s e a l i n g i n d i c a t e d t h a t :

1)

t h e rubber-asphalt

mixed i n t h e f i e l d a d h e r e d t o t h e c o n c r e t e j o i n t faces b e t t e r t h a n t h e c o n v e n t i o n a l l y used c o n t r o l material;

2 ) t h e f i e l d mixed material remained a d h e s i v e l o n g e r ;
3 ) narrow
c r a c k s need t o be r o u t e d wider f o r e i t h e T t h e f i e l d - m i x e d material
o r t h e c o n t r o l material t o p e n e t r a t e a d e q u a t e l y .

Surface Treatment ( S e a l Coat)

D r . S t e p h e n s found from h i s research on s e a l c o a t s t h a t : 1)
binder provides a long-lived f l e x i b l e binder

t h e rubber-asphalt

60

t h a t resists t h e f o r m a t i o n of cracks b e t t e r t h a n t h e emulsion-sand

seal;
2 ) t h e p l a c e m e n t o f a l i g h t emulsion-sand seal o v e r t h e
s t o n e c h i p i n c r e a s e s t h e r e t e n t i o n of the s t o n e chips;
3) t h e
c o s t o f t h e s t o n e - c h i p s e a l i s d o u b l e t h a t o f a emulsion-sand seal
b u t t h e l i f e i s s e v e r a l times g r e a t e r .

S u r f a c e Treatment ( O v e r l a y s )

Dr. S t e p h e n s c o n c l u d e s from h i s research on o v e r l a y s t h a t :

t h i c k o v e r l a y s , cracks d e v e l o p e d s l o w e s t i n t h e t e s t
s e c t i o n s w i t h o n e - p e r c e n t reclaimed r u b b e r ; 2 ) t h e improvement i n
performance was g r e a t e s t i n t h e medium c o n d i t i o n pavement under
medium t o heavy t r a f f i c ;
3) for t h i n o v e r l a y s , r u b b e r was most
e f f e c t i v e when t h e l a y e r t h i c k n e s s exceeded 1 / 2 i n c h ;
4) the
optimum r u b b e r c o n t e n t i n t h e t h i n o v e r l a y s o f a d e q u a t e t h i c k n e s s
was s i g n i f i c a n t l y h i g h e r t h a n f o r t h e t h i c k o v e r l a y s .
I) f o r

The r u b b e r - a s p h a l t used i n t h i s s t u d y d i d n o t require t h e

special l a y i n g equipment used i n N o r t h C a r o l i n a . The c o n v e n t i o n a l
p u g - m i l l , t y p i c a l of most a s p h a l t j o b b e r s , was used.
The crumb
r u b b e r was charged t h r o u g h i n s p e c t i o n p o r t s , or o p e n i n g s c u t i n t o
the m i l l .
T h e r e were no s i g n i f i c a n t c o m p l a i n t s o f odor stemming
from t h e u s e o f t h e r u b b e r i n t h e a s p h a l t .
The laydown crews
found t h e material more workable t h a n t h e normal mix. It was a l s o
r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e material r o l l e d t o a smoother f i n i s h t h a n t h e
normal mix b e c a u s e o f t h e i n c r e a s e d q u a n t i t y of b i n d e r used.

Membrane Layer

,
?

I n 1979, North C a r o l i n a elected t o p a r t i c i p a t e in Federal

Highway P r o j e c t 37, "Discarded Tires I n Highway C o n s t r u c t i o n . l '
The s e c t i o n o f highway selected f o r t h e e v a l u a t i o n was t h e
e a s t b o u n d s e c t i o n of I n t e r s t a t e Highway 40 i n Haywood County from
F i n e s Creek t o U.S. Highway 276. The o r i g i n a l pavement, l a i d i n
1968, was described as e x h i b i t i n g " r a t h e r s e v e r e f a t i g u e
distress" ( S t r o n g , 1983). The f i e l d t r i a l was t o d e t e r m i n e i f t h e
i n c l u s i o n o f t h e crumb r u b b e r i n a n a s p h a l t membrane would enhance
t h e a b i l i t y o f t h e t y p e 1-2 b i t u m i n o u s c o n c r e t e s u r f a c e t o
w i t h s t a n d f a t i g u e crack r e f l e c t i o n . A d e t a i l e d a c c o u n t i n g of t h e
p r o j e c t can be found i n t h e U.S. Department o f T r a n s p o r t a t i o n ' s
f i n a l r e p o r t , "The E v a l u a t i o n o f Rubber A s p h a l t S u r f a c e Treatment
i n P r e v e n t i n g F a t i g u e Crack R e f l e c t i o n i n Bituminous O v e r l a y
C o n s t r u c t i o n , 11
The membrane l a y e r was c o n s t r u c t e d by S a h a u r o Petroleum
Company equipment of AC-IO w i t h 4 . 4 p e r c e n t by volume s u b s t i t u t i o n
o f crumb r u b b e r . The m i x t u r e was a l l o w e d t o homogenize f o r one
hour a t 375 degrees f a h r e n h e i t .
Kerosene was t h e n added ( a t 3 . 3
t o 4.5 p e r c e n t by volume) t o improve t h e a p p l i c a t i o n v i s c o s i t y t o
11,000 t o 12,000 c e n t i p o i s e s .
A 4,500-gallon
rubber-asphalt

61

d i s t r i b u t o r was u t i l i z e d by t h e c o n t r a c t o r .
The d i s t r i b u t o r t a n k
i s equipped w i t h baffles and a u g e r s t o p r o v i d e c o n t i n u o u s mixing
and conveyors t o load t h e crumb r u b b e r i n t o t h e t o p of t h e
distributor.
Following t h e l a y i n g of t h e rubberized a s p h a l t , a
c o v e r aggregate was a p p l i e d t o t h e m i x t u r e and r o l l e d i n .
Later
i n t h e d a y , each r o l l e d - i n membrane was c o v e r e d by a tack c o u r s e
(CRS-1H) and a 1 1 / 2 - i n c h b i n d e r c o u r s e .
The o n l y s i g n s of r e f l e c t i v e f a t i g u e c r a c k i n g t o o c c u r i n t h e
t h r e e - y e a r p e r i o d f o l l o w i n g t h e l a y i n g of t h e new r o a d s u r f a c e
were i n t h e u n t r e a t e d c o n t r o l s e c t i o n s .
O v e r a l l assessment is
t h a t t h e r u b b e r - t r e a t e d s e c t i o n s o f t h e highway are i n s u p e r i o r
c o n d i t i o n t o t h e o t h e r n o n r u b b e r - t r e a t e d s e c t i o n s of r e h a b i l i t a t e d
pavement. Among t h e f i n d i n g s were:

daily
production
rates
for
laying
pavement
s a t i s f a c t o r y a t 3,000 t o 5,000 l i n e a r f e e t

mixing d e l a y s were minimal

r u b b e r a s p h a l t o v e r s p r a y l o s s e s were minimal

e n v i r o n m e n t a l c o n d i t i o n s (smoke and haze) were t y p i c a l

were

The a s p h a l t membrane seems t o have p r o v i d e d some degree of

Unimpeded i n f i l t r a t i o n i n t o
surface impermeability t o moisture.
t h e c r e v i c e s o f t h e o r i g i n a l d i s t r e s s e d areas would have led t o
e a r l y d e t e c t i o n of surface-course f a i l u r e s under the s e v e r e winter
Prior t o t h e resurfacing, the
c o n d i t i o n s t y p i c a l o f t h a t area.
e a s t b o u n d t r a v e l l a n e of t h e p r o j e c t showed 52 p e r c e n t o f t h e
pavement
with
severe
fatigue
distress.
Throbgh
1983,
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 0.6 p e r c e n t showed any s i g n o f renewed',. distress.
"These r e s u l t s have s u g g e s t e d t h a t r u b b e r - a s p h a l t '
surface
t r e a t m e n t c a n be a u s e f u l , c o s t e f f e c t i v e i n c l u s i o n t o pavement
r e h a b i l i t a t i o n measures,
O t h e r a p p l i c a t i o n s of r u b b e r - a s p h a l t
s u r f a c e t r e a t m e n t on N o r t h C a r o l i n a highways s h o u l d be c o n s i d e r e d
on t h e b a s i s o f s p e c i f i c p r o j e c t needs" ( S t r o n g , 1983).

Dr. S t e p h e n s made these f o l l o w i n g c o n c l u s i o n s from h i s

research on s t r e s s - r e l i e v i n g i n t e r l a y e r s :
1) reflection cracking
was l e s s where a n i n t e r l a y e r was p r e s e n t ; and 2 ) t h e crack
r e d u c t i o n b r o u g h t a b o u t by a s t r e s s - r e l i e v i n g l a y e r was n o t
The N o r t h C a r o l i n a
a d d i t i v e t o t h a t from a r u b b e r i z e d o v e r l a y .
Department o f T r a n s p o r t a t i o n has n o t p u r s u e d t h i s program, and i s
n o t c u r r e n t l y engaged i n any r u b b e r - a s p h a l t p r o j e c t s .
The
requires

i n t r o d u c t i o n o f rubber i n t o
precise
specifications.

62

asphalt-paving
Increasingly,

materials
pavement

contractors
who
use
rubberized
products
are
requiring
quality-assurance testing and certification of the rubber
component characterization. A balance between the four chemical
fractions in asphalt (asphaltenes, nitrogen bases, first and
second acidiffins, and paraffins) must be maintained to preserve
the desired characteristics documented above.
If the rubber
introduced contains impurities or is ground to the wrong size
specifications, the binder may not achieve optimum performance and
a low-durability asphalt will result.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency funded a study
prepared by Waste Recovery, Inc. to investigate tire recycling.
In a survey prepared for the interim report, the transportation
agencies were contacted in Minnesota, Alaska, Alabama, Arizona,
Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa,
Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington.
Overall
findings disclosed no clear consensus on the acceptability of
rubberized asphalt. This is attributed to the following,comments
(Waste Recovery, Inc. 1985):
1.

Despite years of testing, results are not clear cut on

the benefits of using rubberized asphalt, given a higher
up-front cost and questionable length of resistance to
road wear (especially with newer, heavier diesel
trucks).

2.

Authorities agree that the process of laying rubberized

asphalt is as important as price in determining
o greater
Applications are subject
effectiveness.
influences by weather and method than conventi

3.

Several state authorities have indicated a lack of

sufficient information on rubberized asphalt technology.

4.

Technical problems are perceived in its applications:

foaming and high-temperature requirements.

5.

Several states are still testing and believe that

competing products (e.g., latex-stryrene butadiene) need
to be evaluated in terms of cost benefit.

The following section briefly states the research and pilot

projects undertaken by various state departments of transportation.

63

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) BRIEFS

Georgia:
Standard Specification for Joint & Crack Seal:
The ambient process may be used; but the cryogenic process
and tire buffings are prohibited. The seal may be vulcanized or
devulcanized. Rubber portion of mixture must have minimum of 25
percent natural rubber. Up to 4 percent calcium carbonate or talc
may be included. No rubber particles greater than 1/4 inches in
length.
Supplemental Specification -- Rubber Seal Treatment for Stress
Relieving Interlayer ( 1 1 August 1981):
Rubber must meet either of following alternatives:
1.

2.

Sized so that I 0 0 percent, by weight, of particles

shall pass no. 8 sieve; 0 - 15 percent shall pass no.
50 sieve; minimum 80 percent vulcanized rubber.
100 percent must pass no. 10 sieve; 0 - 10 percent
must pass no. 100 sieve; must contain 20
40
percent devulcanized and 60 - 80 percent vulcanized
rubber.

Evaluation of Asphalt-Rubber Seal Coats and Interlayers for

Calhoun County (September
Rehabilitation of Flexible Pavement

--

1982) :

Mix proportions 25 percent rubber to 75 percent asphalt by

weight + 5 1 / 2 percent kerosine added after rubber and,asphalt had
reacted to reduce viscosity to aid in spraying. No crabks were
prefilled. Existing pavement was not tacked (to see if',tack coat
is necessary).
+
Construction Equipment Problems:
1. Lime spreader (to spread sand), to prevent the sand
from being spread to more than one lane at a time, proved
unsuccessful - sand clumped at edges of box from being
damp and continued to be slung beyond the one-lane
width.
2. Obtaining the extra heavy rollers (5,000pounds on
each wheel were required by specifications) was difficult
to do. These rollers were not .normally used in paving
construction.

3. Streaking of the asphalt-rubber mixture occurred

because the spray nozzles caused an overlap at the edge,
giving the appearance of longitudinal streaks.
4 . Rain caused severe loss of stone in wheelpath.
Attempts to spread additional stone the next day and
reroll entire area met with minimal success.

The use of tack coat and an increased amount of the

asphalt-rubber to mixture was to help prevent the flushing
appearance in the wheelpath. Flushing also occurs when too little
stone is added to mixture. Use of damp aggregate did not present
a real problem: it adhered to the asphalt-rubber once surface of
the stone dried from warm temperatures and the heat of the
asphalt-rubber mixture. Too much tack coat (0.04 gal/yd2) can
cause the asphalt-rubber to be picked up by traffic. Placement of
fabrics and 1 1/2-inch thick asphalt-concrete overlay caused no
construction-related problems (interlayer of asphalt-rubber)
Seal coat caused problems: twisting movement from heavy
traffic turns caused the asphalt-rubber mat to dislodge. Theory
of cause: high humidity, warm temperatures, high percentage of
kerosine added, high penetration asphalt grade.
Skid resistance was good even though some of the cover
aggregate was absent.
Long Term Performance:
Three Types of Treatment to Compare
1.
2.

3.

Rubber-Asphalt
Triple Surface Treatment
Double Surface Treatment *Control Section

All types of treatment prevented reoccurrence of fatigue

cracking. Some transverse and longitudinal cracking after one and
a half years. Great amount of fatigue cracking after four years
on control section and some notice on rubber-asphalt section after
six years. Triple treatment held up well. Rubber-asphalt
maintained only some evidence of cracking but the contrhl section
showed six and a half times the area of fatigue cracking,
I

To prevent the rubber-asphalt mix from seeping into

preexistig transverse cracks, these cracks should have been filled
prior t o placing rubber-asphalt.
Conclusions:
1.

Triple surface treatment (over existing pavement) showed

best performance.

2.

Rubber-asphalt should not be laid too f a r ahead of chip

spreader (keep rollers close to spreader).

3.

Damp aggregate can be used if:

a. it is a warm-dry day
b. stone is keyed in immediately
c. no traffic is allowed until aggregate has adhered to
the rubber-asphalt (aggregate with free moisture
should not be used. )
d. when rubber-asphalt seal coat is placed, aggregate is
precoated (if damp a gregate used, flushing in
wheelpath may occur.

4.

Rubber-asphalt as seal coat or interlayer can reduce

reflective cracking.

5. Wide transverse and longitudinal cracks s

prior to rubber-asphalt placement.
6.

Extra heavy rollers are not necessary f o r adequate stone

embedment

7.

The above treatments ( 3 ) should not be used to bridge

over weak areas or be used as a reason to reduce overlay
thickness.

Minnesota:
Specifications for Use of Rubber-Asphalt as a Concrete Pavement
Joint Sealer (still in evaluation stage):
Requirements: proportions of asphalt to crumb rubber: 80 percent
maximum to 27 percent maximum, 60 percent minimum vulcanized
rubber.
Packaging: sealed containers with name and address of
manufacturer; trade name of sealant; batch and lot numberb;
certification of testing during grinding, which must meet the
gradations specified.
Virginia:
The StateIs experience with asphalt-rubber as a surface was less

than satisfactory.
California:
Contact sources were optimistic regarding the use of
asphalt-rubber blends.

i
3

South Dakota;
Performance of rubber-asphalt on bridge deck seals has been good
with marginal to good performance on crack treating. Some of the
bridge decks turned black, reasons f o r this are that the limestone
rock may not have wearing quality, snow and ice removal with
blades, and a large volume of traffic.
Asphalt-Rubber Crack Sealant (30 September 1980):
Sources suggest-the type of asphalt to be used with
cryogenic rubber should be limited to asphalt cements. They
encountered problems of tracking with the use of other types of
asphalt (i.e., MC-800 Asphalt). Another way to prevent tracking
(displacement and picking up of material by traffic) is to leave
the material level, in the crack, a little below surface.

Oklahoma (November 1982)8

Precoated aggregate helps control dust and adhesion
problems. Asphalt-rubber proved to be an effective surface
treatment.

North Carolina ( A p r i l 1983):

Rubber-Asphalt Surface Treatment:
Control sections with no rubber-asphalt surface treatment
showed early fatigue cracking through overlay. Treated section with
rubber-asphalt showed early transverse cracking through overlay.
Treated section with rubber-asphalt showed some, but not
substantial, rutting in overlay. Treated section with rubberasphalt on bridge showed random crack reflections through very thin
overlay, probably because of subgrade instability.
It was recommended that 100 percent vulcanized rubber be used
in lieu of a vulcanized/devulcanized blend to preclude the use of
high temperatures required for mixing. This would save energy and
provide a more homogeneous mixture.
During the first three years of service, the rubber-asphalt
treated sections have withstood the early reflection of fatigue or
alligator type cracks. This area has heavy traffic and severe
winter environmental conditions.
The binder course was placed on top of the asphalt-rubber
treatment thus enhancing the bond between the two. Any asphalt
drift into the binder course was absorbed, therefore alleviating the
problem of surface flushing. The use of a light rubber-asphalt
crack sealer would have enhanced the bond of the asphalt-rubber
surface treatment to localized areas of distress. This would have
enhanced the long-term structural performance of the intermediate,
binder course matrial.
It is believed that the asphalt-rubber treatment pq-ovided some
degree of impermeability to surface moisture intrusion $'it0 the
original pavement layers, thus prolonging or forestallin6 the
progressive appearance of fatigue distress in the bituminous overlay
surface.

South Carolina:
Impressed with asphalt-rubber.
University of Connecticut

--

School of Engineering (April 1981):

Overlays, stress-relieving interlayers, seal coats and joint

sealers were the types of tasks for which reclaimed rubber was
used.
Bags that contained the rubber were also thrown into the plug
mill and were destroyed by the heat in the mixer by the time the
rubber was uniformly distributed through the mix.
Some nearby residents complained about the hot rubber odors.
This plant had received complaints in the past because of its
proximity to a residential area. The plant manager complained that
additional manual labor was needed for handling the bagged rubber.

Also, production delays were caused when the ba s we

through the small opening into the mixer. The aydo
the material more workable than the normal mix.

The mixing of large quantities could be made more eff

by a separate bin; however, heat from the aggregate bins and the
plug mill could cause the soft rubber to coagulate into balls.
For this reason, a means of adding the rubber to the hot asphalt
cement rather than batching the rubber-modified asphalt into the
plug mill may be more feasible.
Thick Overlays (one inch o r more):
When comparing a mixture of I-percent and 2-percent rubber
and considering both longitudinal and transverse cracking, there
is a %-percent probability that the I-percent sections will have
less cracking than the control sections, which have 0-percent
rubber, but only 30-percent probability that the 2-percent
sections will have less cracking than the control section.
Medium-distressed roadways benefited most from the addition
of I-percent rubber. Medium-traffic roadways benefited more from
the addition of rubber than low-volume locations. When low- and
high-distressed pavements were combined with high traffic, the
addition of rubber was definitely a benefit.
Thin Overlays (less than one inch):
100 percent of aggregate must pass one-quarter-inch sieve.

For the materials to be effective it must be at least one-half

inch thick. Since rubber had the same effect on workability as

asphalt, the material did not tear at essentially zero thickness
over high spots. The blending of the rubber into the fine mix was
much more difficult than in the thicker mix. Rubber lumps
appeared resulting in blemishes only, without anticipapd future
consequences.
I

A t the high temperatures

(300 degrees Fahrenheit) needed t o

mix the rubber, moisture in the typical porous patched and cracked
old pavement vaporized instantly, creating a dense cloud of steam
which carried a trace of cutter from the medium-cure binder. The
laydown crew did not appreciate this! There was strong indication
that the addition of rubber to the mix is very effective in
delaying the appearance of reflection cracks.
Stress Relieving Interlayers (SRI):
Cracking where SRI was approximately half of that elsewhere.
The SRI did not reduce transverse cracking, but was effective for
longitudinal cracks. There is a trend towards improvement by
either using rubber in overlay o r applying SRI, but the effects do
not appear to be additive if both are used.
Rubber-Modified Seal Coat:
Insufficient lapping of coats causes loss of stone. In
general, no trace of cracks appeared where they were present in
the old surface. The seal coat gave good results when topped with
sand/emulsion; in fact, it increased the binder quantity and
stabilized the binder. Two to three cracks did appear but were
kneaded closed by traffic.

.. .

Crack and Joint Filler:

Construction was done during cold temperatures, and
arose with the mix temperature. Even with the mix at 375
Fahrenheit the material remained viscous and caused problems with
the material penetrating the cracks. By extending the heating
period of the mix, the rubber could dissolve into the asphalt.
Good success with rubberized material bonding to all faces. This
was true even though penetration of the rubber did not completely
fill the entire crack.
Alaska:
Rubber in Asphalt f o r Roadway Ice Control (October 1979):
Wet scrubber and settling pond were used to control rubber
dust. In the first 38 days after construction, I 1 pounds per 100
feet of rubber were lost, This section happens to be on a sharp
curve where braking and turning forces appear to create a high
potential for rubber loss. However, this early l o s s is considered
to be primarily from surface rubber granules not well bonded into
the mix; and the loss rate is expected to decline with time.
Definite improvement in traction was noted over the rubber
section. Some surface wear is required to fully expose the
superficial rubber particles and maximize their effectiveness.
Australia:
Characteristics and Performance of Asphalt-Rubber Material
Containing a Blend of Reclaim and Crumb Rubber:
Conventional spray equipment can be used with rubber.
Application of a tack coat is generally not required. General
performance of surface treatments made with the asphalt-bubber
mixture has been exceptionally good. It is essential that the
aggregate be clean and dry to achieve good results, The use of
hot, precoated aggregate has not been found to be necessary with
this material.
Modification of Paving Asphalts by Digestion with Scrap Rubber:
Ambient process produces a much more llactivelt
material than
the cryogenic process. Production by cryogenic process appears
unsatisfactory, particularly f o r predominantly synthetic rubber
materials. Either further treatment of the product is required,
o r this method of comminution should beerestricted to natural
rubber

Optimizing the Improvements Obtained by the Di estion of

Comminuted Scrap Rubbers In Paving Asphalts (1 8 2 ) :

Natural rubber is not as stable under heat treatment as

synthetic rubber, The main variables affecting the mixing and the
final properties of asphalt-synthetic rubber digestions are the
morphology of the original rubber particles and the concentration
of rubber in the asphalt, Of less importance are time and
temperature of digestion and rubber particle size. Asphalt
composition was found to have no effect on results.

APPENDIX E
POTENTIAL U S E S FOR DISCARDED T I R E S
RECLAIM AND COMPOUNDERS (RUBBER PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS)
Brad A s s o c i a t e s o f Akron, Ohio, estimated t h a t i n 1 9 8 0 , 350
m i l l i o n pounds o f scrap t i r e s were ground f o r u s e , a s reclaimed
r u b b e r (Energy Recovery Systems, 1980). The reclaim i n d u s t r y has
been l o s i n g ground s i n c e i t s peak i n t h e 1 9 4 0 s . From a h i g h t h e n ,
o f more t h a n 4 0 p e r c e n t r u b b e r r e c y c l e d , t h e amount r e c y c l e d by
t h e reclaim i n d u s t r y has d e c l i n e d t o a b o u t 8 p e r c e n t .
T h i s is
a t t r i b u t e d t o r e d u c e d demand f o r reclaimed r u b b e r .
Most
reclaimers have t h e i r own s o u r c e s o f s u p p l y , w i t h a s t r o n g l e a n i n g
toward s e l e c t i v e p r o c e s s i n g o f b i a s - p l y t i r e s b e c a u s e o f t h e
d i f f i c u l t y o f s t e e l removal from s t e e l - b e l t e d t i r e s .
S i n c e 1980,
a n a v e r a g e s a l e s p r i c e f o r t h i s material h a s b e e n 9 c e n t s p e r
pound.

When ground t o a f i n e mesh o f 30 t o 60, t h e r u b b e r d u s t can

be used as a n e x t e n d e r f o r e l a s t o m e r s .
U s u a l l y no more t h a n 8- t o
1 5 - p e r c e n t d u s t c a n be used i n new p r o d u c t s b e c a u s e o f t h e
compromise of d e s i r a b l e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
Rubber a t t h i s

s p e c i f i c a t i o n i s w o r t h from 1 2 t o 15 c e n t s p e r pound.
Brad
A s s o c i a t e s r e p o r t s t h a t r u b b e r crumb i s d e s i r a b l e as f i l l e r
( e x t e n d e r ) b e c a u s e t h e r u b b e r h y d r o c a r b o n c o n t e n t o f t h e crumb
w i l l r a i s e t h e t o t a l c o n t e n t for t h e p r o d u c t , r e d u c i n g t h e demand
f o r v i r g i n - r u b b e r and o i l s .

F l i n t s t o n e E n g i n e e r i n g Labs has r e p o r t e d s u c c e s s f u l J y t e s t i n g
t h e pro'duct w i l l

a rubber-house s h i n g l e .
They a n t i c i p a t e t h a t
have d o u b l e t h e l i f e of c o n v e n t i o n a l s h i n g l e s .

I t i s a l s o r e p o r t e d t h a t r u b b e r d u s t c a n be mixed w i t h
retread r u b b e r a t a c o n c e n t r a t i o n of 8 p e r c e n t o f 16 mesh.
This
h a s l e n g t h e n e d t h e mileage on t h e retread and r e d u c e d t h e

p r o d u c t i o n c o s t (Cordova, 1982)

T h e r e i s a p o t e n t i a l market f o r crumb r u b b e r i n N o r t h
C a r o l i n a ' s compounding i n d u s t r y . A l i s t i n g o f rubber compounders
i n N o r t h C a r o l i n a c a n be found i n t h e 1985-1986 D i r e c t o r y o f North
C a r o l i n a M a n u f a c t u r i n g F i r m s , a v a i l a b l e from t h e N o r t h C a r o l i n a
Department of Commerce, I n d u s t r i a l Development D i v i s i o n , 430 North
S a l i s b u r y S t r e e t , Raleigh, NC 27611, under S t a n d a r d I n d u s t r i a l
Codes (SIC) 3011, 3021, 3 0 4 1 , 3069, and 3079.

70

REVIEW OF THE TIRECYCLE PROCESS

T i r e c y c l e i s a chemical t r e a t m e n t of crumb r u b b e r d e v e l o p e d
and p a t e n t e d by Rubber Research E l a s t o m e r i c s , I n c . ( R R E ) , 8 2 4 9 t h
Avenue SE, M i n n e a p o l i s , MN 55414.
RRE h a s d e v e l o p e d a c o m p l e t e
l i n e o f T i r e c y c l e p r o d u c t s c o r r e s p o n d i n g t o t h e v a r i e t y of
e x t e n d e r compounds required
by
the
compounding i n d u s t r y .
T r a d i t i o n a l l y , ground, reclaimed r u b b e r c o u l d o n l y be used i n
c o n c e n t r a t i o n s o f up t o 15 p e r c e n t i n compound p r o d u c t s b e c a u s e of
t h e l o s s o f desired p h y s i c a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s c a u s e d by t h e crumb
f i l l e r . Although t h e r e i s some l o s s w i t h T i r e c y c l e p r o d u c t s , it
i s c o n s i d e r a b l y less.
S u b s e q u e n t l y , a greater amount o f t h e
f i l l e r material c a n be u s e d , and i n some cases as much as 75
percent.
Adding T i r e c y c l e t o a compound i n i t i a l l y l o w e r s , by
For
a b o u t 10 p e r c e n t , t h e d e s i r e d e l a s t o m e r i c p r o p e r t i e s .
example, some compounds w i t h t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h s o f 2,000 t o 1,800
pounds per s q u a r e i n c h ( p s i ) w i l l d r o p t o 1,800 t o 1,600 p s i .
In
t h e case o f p r o d u c t s s u c h as f l o o r mats and t r u c k ? l a p s , t h e loss
o f a small p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e s e p h y s i c a l p r o p e r t i e s is n o t
significant.
T h e T i r e c y c l e p r o c e s s developed a t RRE l a b o r a t o r i e s i s a n
u n s a t u r a t e d liquid-polymer surface t r e a t m e n t a p p l i e d along w i t h
c u r i n g a g e n t s t o t h e crumb r u b b e r . I n i t i a l l y , RRE i n t e n d e d t o buy
i t s crumb r u b b e r from reclaimers and t r e a t i t c h e m i c a l l y t o
manufacture i t s product.
However, b e c a u s e o f a r e p o r t e d lack o f
crumb r u b b e r , RRE has d e c i d e d t o l o c a t e i t s own used t i r e
p r o c e s s i n g f a c i l i t y t o p r o d u c e i t s own crumbed r u b b e r .
There is
some q u e s t i o n whether t h i s reported s h o r t a g e i s a matter of
r e l i a b i l i t y or regional supply;
o t h e r r e f e r e n c e s havi) i n d i c a t e d
t h a t t h e r u b b e r crumbers are o p e r a t i n g f a r below c a p a c i b y .
4%

A high degree of c u s t o m e r s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e T i r e c y c l e
l i n e o f p r o d u c t s i n d i c a t e s a tremendous market p o t e n t i a l i n t h e
compounding i n d u s t r y (some 1 , 4 0 0 companies). An a v e r a g e price f o r
t h e Tirecycle p r o d u c t is 20 t o 35 c e n t s p e r pound.
RRE estimates
t h a t a IO- t o 1 5 - y e a r growth p e r i o d s h o u l d see t h a t company's
p r o d u c t i o n a t 600 m i l l i o n pounds per y e a r .

DEVULCANIZATION
The v u l c a n i z a t i o n of r u b b e r e n t a i l s c r e a t i n g c a r b o n - s u l f u r
and s u l f u r - s u l f u r bonds w i t h i n t h e m o l e c u l a r s t r u c t u r e o f t h e
material.
T h e s e bonds make t h e r u b b e r ' m o r e d u r a b l e and harder.
These
same
qualit-ies
that
enhance
the
rubber's
wear
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s i n t i r e tread l i m i t t h e u s e o f crumbed r u b b e r .

Goodyear h a s p a t e n t e d a microwave p r o c e s s t o break t h e

carbon-sulfur
and
sulfur-sulfur
bonds
without
affecting
The r e s u l t a n t product i s being used, w i t h
carbon-carbon bonds.
good r e s u l t s , t o replace up t o 26 p e r c e n t o f t h e v i r g i n rubber a t
Goodyear's L i n c o l n , Nebraska, hose p l a n t .
T h i s very l i m i t e d
market can be developed and has growth p o t e n t i a l .

SLUDGE COMPOSTING
Very l i t t l e s l u d g e composting is performed i n N o r t h C a r o l i n a .
Only two wastewater t r e a t m e n t f a c i l i t i e s have i n d i c a t e d s e r i o u s
i n t e r e s t i n t h e composting of sewage sludge. Shredded t i r e s have
been used e x p e r i m e n t a l l y as a r e c y c l a b l e a i d i n s l u d g e composting,
r e p l a c i n g t h e c o n v e n t i o n a l wood c h i p .
Tire c h i p s (two t o f o u r
i n c h e s ) are mixed w i t h t h e sludge t o assist i n i t s c u r i n g and t h e n
s e p a r a t e d p r i o r t o i t s sale.
The c h i p s are t h e n r e c y c l e d f o r
c u r i n g a n o t h e r load of sludge. Experimental work h a s been done a t
t h e municipal wastewater t r e a t m e n t p l a n t i n Windsor,* O n t a r i o .
Should sludge composting become commonplace, s a l e s would s t i l l be
l i m i t e d t o s i n g l e - i n v e n t o r y purchases a t respective p l a n t s , and
would r e s u l t i n minimal sales volume.

RECREATIONAL APPLICATIONS FOR SAND/CRUMB

PLAYGROUNDS AND ON ATHLETIC FIELDS

RUBBER

MIXTURE

ON

Rubber has been mixed w i t h sand f o r u s e on playgrounds t o

improve t h e t e x t u r e of t h e s u r f a c e . A mixture of rubber w i t h sand
This
p r e v e n t s t h e sand from compacting under f o o t t r a f f - i c .
p r o v i d e s a s o f t e r s u r f a c e for t h e i n e v i t a b l e f a l l s , atd enhances
t h e f i l t r a t i o n of s u r f a c e water i n t o t h e ground.
Aubberized
surfaces are i n c r e a s i n g l y used on running tracks because t h e y
decrease running i n j u r i e s and enhance winning times.
Athletic
companies a l r e a d y promote and i n s t a l l such t r a c k s t o e x a c t i n g
s p e c i f i c a t i o n s . This is a very l i m i t e d market.
NQIP-CRUMB RUBBER END-USE OPTIONS

Cement Kiln Fuel

Another p o s s i b i l i t y f o r t h e use o f t i r e as f u e l i s i n t h e
portland-cement i n d u s t r y . The s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h i s market for t h e
proposed f a c i l i t y is probably n e g l i g i b l e , however, because of t h e
l i k e l i h o o d o f t h e k J l n s ' a b i l i t y t o combust whole unprocessed
tires. The combustion of whole t i r e s i n t h e r o t a r y k i l n s used i n
many p o r t l a n d cement manufacturing p l a n t s i s p o s s i b l e and has been
deemed feasible i n European f a c i l i t i e s .
Although t h e P o r t l a n d
Cement A s s o c i a t i o n r e p o r t s t h a t no American k i l n is c u r r e n t l y

72

.-*
...

a v a i l i n g i t s e l f of t h e i n e x p e n s i v e f u e l , a S o u t h C a r o l i n a k i l n
l i k e l y be o p e r a t i n g i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e ( T r e s o u t h i c , 1985;
Hardy, 1 9 8 4 ) .
will

A c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h Mr. Hardy,
of t h e European firm,
Stalberger, yielded the following information concerning t h e
v i a b i l i t y of u s i n g whole t i r e s as a f u e l f o r cement k i l n s . K i l n s
o p e r a t i n g a t 800 p l u s degrees c e n t i g r a d e c a n consume one t i r e
e v e r y two m i n u t e s and remain w i t h i n U.S. e m i s s i o n s t a n d a r d s .
Assuming a 1,000-ton-a-day o u t p u t , a k i l n can t a k e two t o t h r e e
t o n s of t i r e s a day.
Mr. H a r d y ' s f i g u r e s i n d i c a t e a s a v i n g s i n
c o a l o f $30 p e r h o u r , o r $210,000 per y e a r .
He f u r t h e r claims
t h a t s t e e l - b e l t e d t i r e s r e l i e v e t h e cement m a n u f a c t u r e r o f t h e
necessity of stoking i r o n o r e f o r t h e production process.
S t a l b e r g e r m a n u f a c t u r e s c o n c r e t e k i l n t i r e feeders. Other s o u r c e s
i n d i c a t e t h a t r e l a t i v e l y few cement k i l n s i n t h i s c o u n t r y are
s u i t e d t o b u r n i n g whole t i r e s .

The 1985-1986 D i r e c t o r y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a M a n u f a c t u r i n g Firms

l i s t s cement and c o n c r e t e firms under SICS 3272 and 3273.
Splitters
The s p l i t t i n g i n d u s t r y i n c l u d e s d i e - c u t t i n g t i r e sidewalls
and t r e a d
i n t o rubber
items.
Belts,
automobile parts,
c o n v e y e r b e l t p a r t s , and o t h e r p r o d u c t s c a n be m a n u f a c t u r e d , b u t
must be mass-produced t o m a i n t a i n economies o f scale.
T h e r e are
v i r t u a l l y unlimited o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r the use of die-cut t i r e s i n
a p p l i c a t i o n s s u c h as gaskets, washers, o r c o n n e c b e r s .
The
t i r e - r u b b e r p r o d u c t i s a good v a l u e as it i s s t r o n g 'and c a n be
produced i n e x p e n s i v e l y .
T h i s t r a d i t i o n a l l y has been. , a l a b o r i n t e n s i v e industry,

Faabco Rubber I n c . I i n C a l i f o r n i a , r e p r o c e s s e s 300,000 u s e d

b i a s - p l y t r u c k t i r e s p e r y e a r t o make a v a r i e t y of p r o d u c t s s u c h
a s s o l i d - i n d u s t r i a l t i r e s and dock bumpers,
S i m i l a r l y , Malurba
S i l v e r C i t y Tire i n C o n n e c t i c u t , and F & B E n t e r p r i s e s i n
M a s s a c h u s e t t s , each r e c y c l e o v e r 100,000 u s e d b i a s - p l y t r u c k t i r e s
per y e a r .
These companies die-punch p r o d u c t s s u c h as dock
bumpers, t r u c k and a i r p l a n e shock a b s o r b e r s , i n d u s t r i a l t i r e s , and
f i s h i n g b o a t equipment.
It s h o u l d be n o t e d , however, t h a t o n l y
b i a s - p l y t i r e s are used i n t h e s e examples.
A r t i f i c i a l Reefs and Automobile Crash Barriers

Whole s c r a p t i r e s have b e e n b u n d l e d t o g e t h e r t o form

a r t i f i c i a l reefs t h a t are sunk i n t o t h e ocean and used t o b u i l d

73

up sea-life p o p u l a t i o n s .
The N e w York S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y a t S t o n y
Brook, Long I s l a n d , has researched t h e e f f e c t s o f a r t i f i c i a l reefs
on t h e marine e n v i r o n m e n t , and found them t o promote sea-life
population.
I t i s p r e d i c t e d t h a t 5OO,OOO t i r e s w i l l be used i n
t h i s manner n a t i o n a l l y each y e a r (Brad Assoc. 1980).

The u s e o f d i s c a r d e d t i r e s as crash b a r r i e r s f o r highways has

been documented t o s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e d u c e a u t o m o b i l e and o c c u p a n t
i n j u r y a t s p e e d s up t o 60 miles per h o u r . I t c a n be assumed t h a t
t h e North C a r o l i n a Department of T r a n s p o r t a t i o n w i l l have a n
a d e q u a t e s o u r c e of t i r e s f o r , t h e v e r y small demand r e q u i r e d f o r
t h i s use.

Pyro 1ys is
I n t h e p y r o l y s i s o f discarded t i r e s , t h e r u b b e r is heated t o
h i g h t e m p e r a t u r e s i n t h e a b s e n c e o f oxygen. T e m p e r a t u r e s o f a b o u t
600 degrees c e n t i g r a d e c o m p l e t e l y decompose t h e t i r e s by b r e a k i n g
down t h e h y d r o c a r b o n m a t r i x .
On a n i n d u s t r i a l b a s i s , a p l a n t
p r o c e s s i n g 10,000 t o n s o f t i r e s per y e a r would o p t i m i z e i t s
p r o d u c t v a l u e by p r o d u c i n g 90 t o n s of a l i p h a t i c h y d r o c a r b o n s , 380
t o n s of benzene, 285 t o n s o f t o l u e n e , 225 t o n s of s y n t h e t i c r e s i n s
(coumarone), 45 t o n s o f n a p h t h a l e n e , and 1 , 2 2 0 t o n s of a r o m a t i c
oils.
These s y n t h e s i z e d o r g a n i c s are v o l a t i l e , b u t are of a much
greater v a l u e as chemical f e e d s t o c k s t h a n as f u e l s .
The c a r b o n
b l a c k o b t a i n e d from t h i s p r o c e s s i s n o t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of any
c u r r e n t l y commercialized s p e c i f i c a t i o n s , and would be egarded as
a new v a r i e t y o f r e i n f o r c i n g f i l l e r .
Research i n t o a p l i c a t i o n s
f o r t h i s new grade of c a r b o n b l a c k w i l l be r e q u i r e d ,(Murtland,
1983). A large v a r i a t i o n in these p y r o l y s i s p r o d u c t s i d o b t a i n e d
by v a r y i n g the p r o c e s s parameters.
The 1983 U.S. Department of
Energy (U.S. DOE) s t u d y o f p y r o l y s i s t e c h n o l o g y i d e n t i f i e d 31
e x i s t i n g f a c i l i t i e s , of which o n l y h a l f are s t i l l i n o p e r a t i o n .

'R

Goodyear u s e d t h e Tosco O i l Shale p y r o l y s i s t e c h n o l o g y d u r i n g

t h e i r one-year s t u d y on r e c l a i m i n g t h e e n e r g y v a l u e of t i r e s .
In
1977, Goodyear b r o u g h t on l i n e a 15-ton-per-day p i l o t p l a n t f o r
The crumb
s h r e d d i n g t i r e s and s u b s e q u e n t p y r o l y s i s of t h e crumb.
was f e d i n t o a feeder d r y e r and t h e n i n t o a r o t a t i n g p y r o l y s i s
drum heated t o o v e r 650 degrees c e n t r i g r a d e . The v a p o r i z e d r u b b e r
i s f i l t e r e d and f r a c t i o n a t e d i n a d i s t i l l i n g column.
The
r e m a i n i n g noncombusted material i s s c r e e n e d f o r f i b e r g l a s s , and
m a g n e t i c a l l y sorted for s t e e l . The r e s i d u a l c a r b o n b l a c k is o f a
medium grade u s a b l e for b i a s t i r e s .
The p l a n t p r o c e s s e d 800 t o n s
of t i r e s i n t h e y e a r , p r o d u c i n g 500,000 pounds of c a r b o n b l a c k ,

74

30,000 g a l l o n s o f o i l , and 26 t o n s o f s t e e l .
I t was c o n c l u d e d
t h a t t h e p l a n t was uneconomical.
It c l o s e d because of t h e high
i n i t i a l i n v e s t m e n t r e q u i r e d and t h e l o n g pay-back p e r i o d of 9.3
y e a r s ( N i c h o l s , 1982).

A system v e r y similar i n d e s i g n is b e i n g marketed by F r e e

Heat o f Quakertown, P e n n s y l v a n i a . The K i e n e r p y r o l y s i s s y s t e m was
s u c c e s s f u l l y tested i n Germany, w i t h t h e research p u b l i s h e d by
o f t h e I n s t i t u t e of Communal
P r o f e s s o r 0. T a b a s a r a n , Ph.D.
H y d r a u l i c E n g i n e e r i n g , Water Treatment and E f f l u e n t P r o d u c t s
The p r o c e s s i s t o t a l l y
D i s p o s a l a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y of S t u t t g a r t .
self-contained,
u s i n g e n e r g y produced o n - s i t e
t o fuel the
p y r o l y s i s process.
A very detailed a n a l y s i s of the by-products
produced by t h e p r o c e s s , and t h e i r t r e a t m e n t p r i o r t o release i n t o
t h e ambient e n v i r o n m e n t , i n d i c a t e s t h e s y s t e m i s c l e a n and
efficient.
The p r o c e s s feeds s h r e d d e d t i r e i n t o a r e v o l v i n g p y r o l y s i s
drum i n which a n oxygen-free environment is m a i n t a i n e d w i t h i n e r t
n i t r o g e n . Contact w i t h eight i n t e r n a l heat-exchanger t u b e s w i t h i n
t h e drum g a s i f i e s t h e r u b b e r .
F i r s t , gas i s produced and t h e
r u b b e r is s o f t e n e d a t a b o u t 200 degrees c e n t i g r a d e .
A t , and
beyond, 350 degrees c e n t i g r a d e t h e r u b b e r d e p o l y e r i s e s and t h e
v u l c a n i z a t i o n s u l f u r bonds s p l i t o f f t o form hydrogen s u l f i d e .
Higher t e m p e r a t u r e s w i l l b o i l o f f t h e o l e f i n i c components, which
c o n s t i t u t e t h e b u l k o f t h e c o n d e n s a b l e p y r o l y s i s gas. T e m p e r a t u r e s
above 450 degrees c e n t i g r a d e c a u s e t h e r e a r r a n g e m e n t , c y c l i z a t i o n
a n d d e h y d r a t i o n of t h e o l e f i n s , f o r m i n g hydrogen, s h o r t - c h a i n
The d e g a s i f e d
h y d r o c a r b o n s , and more t h e r m a l l y s t a b l e a r o m a t i c s .
r e s i d u e s c o n s i s t o f c a r b o n , z i n c o x i d e , s u l f u r , and the. s t e e l from
t h e bead and tread.
Gas i s s u i n g from t h e p y r o l y s i s &rum a t 550
degrees c e n t i g r a d e is c l e a n e d o f s o o t i n a c y c l o n e and khen p a s s e s
t o spray coolers where it is condensed.
A l r e a d y cool&d p r o c e s s
o i l is used as t h e c o o l i n g medium.
The o i l is c o o l e d t o 5 0
degrees c e n t i g r a d e .
A s e p a r a t o r i s used t o clean t h e o i l o f t h e
s l u d g e s e n t back t o t h e p y r o l y s i s drum. After b e i n g d e s u l f u r i z e d
a n d t r e a t e d f o r c y a n i d e s , t h e r e m a i n i n g gases, n o t s u i t a b l e f o r
c o n d e n s a t l o n , a r e used t o power t h e p r o c e s s .
A f u l l technical
r e p o r t on t h e p r o c e s s i s a v a i l a b l e from Henry G r u e t t n e r , p y r o l y s i s
c o n s u l t a n t . Refer t o t h e b i b l i o g r a p h y (Appendix G ) f o r d e t a i l s .
I n F r a n c e , t h e I n s t i t u t F r a n c a i s du P e t r o l e p e r f o r m s a
v a r i a t i o n o f p y r o l y s i s by mincing t i r e r u b b e r i n t o h o t oil, which
s e r v e s as a s o l v e n t and heat t r a n s f e r medium.
The p r o c e s s is
b a t c h r u n w i t h up t o t h e e q u i v a l e n t of. 20 t i r e s (300 k i l o g r a m s )
a n d 600 l i t e r s o f o i l ( a p p r o x i m a t e l y 150 g a l l o n s ) . T h e m i x t u r e is
h e a t e d t o 370 degrees c e n t i g r a d e o v e r a p e r i o d of three h o u r s .
The t i r e s are t h e r m a l l y cracked i n t o t h e o i l , which i s t h e n
c o o l e d , c o n d e n s e d , and d i l u t e d w i t h l i g h t h y d r o c a r b o n s .
The

75

l i q u i d i s t h e n used as a f u e l .
I t i s claimed t h a t i n i t i a l
i n v e s t m e n t f o r t h e p l a n t was $734,000, t h a t t h e payback p e r i o d Was
f o u r y e a r s , and t h a t equipment l i f e was e i g h t years.
Department o f E n e r g y ' s a s s e s s m e n t o f p y r o l y s i s
i s t h a t it i s d e v e l o p e d , m a t u r e , and t e c h n i c a l l y
feasible.
I t i s t h e economics o f t h e p r o c e s s which are m a r g i n a l
a t b e s t . The U.S. DOE s i t e s t h e f o l l o w i n g q u a l i t i e s o f f a c i l i t i e s
still i n operation:
( a ) h i g h t i r e d i s p o s a l c o s t s , low t i r e
a c q u i s i t i o n c o s t s , and s i g n i f i c a n t o n - s i t e e n e r g y s a v i n g s c a n be
r e a l i z e d , ( b ) t h e t a x a d v a n t a g e s o f m u n i c i p a l development are
u s e d , o r ( c ) h i g h e r v a l u e p r o d u c t s s u c h as benzene and t o l u e n e are
r e f i n e d from t h e p y r o l y t i c o i l (Dodds e t a l . 1 9 8 3 ) .
The

U.S.

technology

The U.S. DOE estimates t h e s i z e o f t h e p l a n t (economy of

scale) r e q u i r e d t o b r i n g a good r e t u r n on t h e i n v e s t m e n t would
r e q u i r e a s t e a d y s u p p l y o f t i r e s f o r a IO-year minimum, well i n
e x c e s s o f t h e s u p p l y i n any m e t r o p o l i t a n area of t h e c o u n t r y .
S i t i n g o f a p l a n t i n C l i n t o n , North C a r o l i n a , i n 1980, n e v e r came
t o fruition.
I n Europe and J a p a n , economics f a v o r s p y r o l y s i s
b e c a u s e o f t h e h i g h c o s t o f o i l i n t h o s e markets.

Combustion f o r Energy Recovery

Crumb r u b b e r has a h e a t i n g v a l u e of 15,000 BTUs per pound.
Whole t i r e s , c o n t a i n i n g f i b e r , s t e e l , and small amounts o f d i r t
and m o i s t u r e have a n a v e r a g e h e a t i n g v a l u e of 12,000 BTUs p e r
pound. T h i s compares f a v o r a b l y w i t h u t i l i t y - g r a d e c o a l , which has
a BTU v a l u e between 8,000 and 12,000 per pound.
,.The s u l f u r
c o n t e n t of t i r e r u b b e r is e q u i v a l e n t t o t h a t o f most t c o a l s , and
therefore i s of comparable consequence.
,
The t i r e - d e r i v e d f u e l f e d t o c o n v e n t i o n a l s t o k e r f u r n a c e
systems r e q u i r e s shredding or g r i n d i n g t o t h e s i z e of 3/16-to
3 / 4 - i n c h chunks. L a r g e r p i e c e s w i l l n o t mix e f f e c t i v e l y w i t h t h e
c o a l and may compress, c a u s i n g t h e s t o k e r t o jam. The l i t e r a t u r e
i n d i c a t e s t h a t any s t e e l r e m a i n i n g i n t h e rubber c h i p s f e d t o
f u r n a c e s d o e s n o t lead t o f o u l i n g o f t h e grates. The s t e e l i s of
s u c h small diameter and l e n g t h t h a t i t i s t h o r o u g h l y o x i d i z e d and
e m b r i t t l e d , and f a l l s t h r o u g h t h e g r a t e i n t o t h e a s h p i t .
Dual-chamber i n c i n e r a t o r s are r e q u i r e d f o r o p t i m a l combustion.
With d e s i g n f e a t u r e s s p e c i f i c f o r t i r e i n c i n e r a t i o n , c l o s e t o 100p e r c e n t e f f i c i e n c y o f combustion can be a c h i e v e d .

U n i r o y a l , I n c . , - c o - f i r e s s c r a p t i r e s w i t h c o a l a t i t s Eau
C l a i r e , W i s c o n s i n , p l a n t and r e p o r t s t h a t no b o i l e r a d j u s t m e n t s
were n e c e s s a r y w i t h up t o 1 5 - p e r c e n t scrap t i r e s i n t h e f u e l m i x .
T h i s i s a c o n c e r n b e c a u s e t h e h o t t e r burn o b t a i n e d from r u b b e r

76

t h a n from c o a l c o u l d lead t o s p e c i a l f u r n a c e r e q u i r e m e n t s
l a r g e r r a t i o s o f r u b b e r t o c o a l are u t i l i z e d .

if

U t i l i t y b o i l e r s are n o t u s u a l l y s u i t e d t o b u r n i n g r u b b e r
b e c a u s e of t h e c y c l o n i c t e c h n o l o g y t y p i c a l l y employed.
In
f u r n a c e s of t h i s k i n d t h e f u e l i s e i t h e r v a p o r i z e d ( l i q u i d ) o r
p u l v e r i z e d t o a d u s t ( c o a l ) . The c o s t of r e d u c i n g crumb r u b b e r t o
a compatible s i z e is p r o h i b i t i v e .
Miami,
Oklahoma,
and T u s c a l o o s a ,
Alabama,
have
sited
w a s t e - t o - e n e r g y i n c i n e r a t o r s b u i l t by Consumat, I n c . , t o manage
I n b o t h c i t i e s , t h e B.F. Goodrich p l a n t s c o n t r a c t
s o l i d wastes.
t o p u r c h a s e t h e steam g e n e r a t e d . Because o f t h e uneven BTU v a l u e
o f t h e waste r e c e i v e d a t t h e i n c i n e r a t o r s , whole t i r e s are u s e d t o
improve t h e e n e r g y v a l u e of t h e lesser BTU l o a d i n g s . They are f e d
i n t e r m i t t e n t l y , as i n d i c a t e d by v i s u a l i n s p e c t i o n o f t h e waste.
The Goodrich p l a n t i n Miami r e p o r t s t h a t i t s i n c i n e r a t o r b u r n s an
a v e r a g e of 21 t o n s p e r day of s c r a p t i r e s and c a r b o n black.
The
r e s i d e n t manager o f t h e Miami i n c i n e r a t o r s a y s t h a t t h e h i g h
volume of s c r a p r u b b e r i n t h e waste stream keeps s u p p l e m e n t a l fuel
c o s t s down t o a n a v e r a g e o f $30 per week.
A IO-percent mix o f chopped r u b b e r i s burned w i t h c o a l in a
wet-bottom b o i l e r a t t h e Goodyear T i r e & Rubber Company i n Akron,
Ohio. T h i s p r o c e s s consumes 2,000 t i r e s d a i l y .

Another b o i l e r d e s i g n c a p a b l e of c o m b u s t i n g t i r e - d e r i v e d f u e l
w i t h l i t t l e or no m o d i f i c a t i o n i s t h e h o g - f u e l b o i l e r a t t h e Owens
It combusts r u b b e r c h i p s
I l l i n o i s p l a n t i n Tomahawk, Wisconsin.
s i z e d up t o two i n c h e s a l o n g w i t h wood waste.
T h i s ' . b o i l e r can
accept steel-belted-tire-derived
f u e l with t h e steel s t i l l
entrained i n the rubber chips.
The c h i p s are provi*d
by t h e

Greater Minnesota T i r e R e c y c l i n g Company of Andover, Minnesota.

Table 5 a t t h e e n d o f t h i s a p p e n d i x l i s t s t h e wood-fired
b o i l e r s i n North C a r o l i n a .

F i g u r e 4 g i v e s t h e r e l a t i v e market s i z e f o r t h e v a r i o u s u s e s
for discarded t i r e s d i s c u s s e d above.
POTENTIAL USES FOR DISCARDED TIRES I N NORTH CAROLINA
A p r i c e of $40 p e r t o n ( d e l i v e r e d ) i s q u o t e d as t h e market
v a l u e of t i r e - d e r i v e d f u e l s u i t a b l e 'for combustion i n s t o k e r
furnaces ( P l i n e r , 1985). This f i g u r e r e p r e s e n t s a f u e l value f o r
crumb r u b b e r o f l e s s t h a n 2 c e n t s per pound, g i v i n g t h e r u b b e r i n
one t i r e a v a l u e o f a p p r o x i m a t e l y 25 c e n t s .

77

FIGURE 4
R E L A T I V E MARKET S I Z E A N D PRODUCT VALUE OF S C R A P T I R E USES

The s p o t market price i n e a r l y 1985 f o r coal i n M i n n e s o t a was

$1.50 p e r mm BTUs.
A Minnesota subcommittee s t u d y i n g t h e
d i s p o s a l of d i s c a r d e d t i r e s as crumb r u b b e r f u e l f o r s u i t a b l e
b o i l e r s concluded t h a t , !!The v a l u e of rubber as a f u e l is a b o u t
$.01 p e r pound; s i z e d t o s p e c i f i c a t i o n s and d e l i v e r e d t o a
g e n e r a t i n g p l a n t it i s $.03 t o $.04 per poundt1 (Tuskey, 1 9 8 4 ) .

I n Minnesota, where l a n d f i l l i n g t i r e s has been banned by law,

a s h r e d d i n g and g r i n d i n g f a c i l i t y has been s i t e d i n Andover t o
c o n v e r t t h e t i r e s from a n 8- t o 1 0 - m i l l i o n t i r e s t o c k p i l e i n t o
i n d u s t r i a l - b o i l e r f u e l . Other s o u r c e s q u o t e a lower price f o r t h e
c o s t of t h e f u e l c h i p p r e p a r a t i o n ( o n e t o two c e n t s p e r pound)
( G e n s t a r , 1985).
T a b l e 4 shows t h e r e l a t i v e c o s t o f f u e l i n t h e Raleigh-Durham

area.
An i n d u s t r i a l b o i l e r u s i n g 100 t o n s o f c o a l per month c o u l d
s u b s t i t u t e 10 t o 20 p e r c e n t o f t h e c o a l f o r t h e t i r e - d e r i v e d f u e l
( a t above r a t e ) , r e a l i z i n g a s a v i n g s of $700 t o $ 1 , 4 0 0 a month, o r
as much as $16,800 p e r y e a r .
T h e r e i s , however, a n i n c o n s i s t e n c y i n t h e p r i c e of c o a l
Prices
r e p o r t e d above, and t h e f i g u r e s o b t a i n e d f o r this r e p o r t .
q u o t e d i n V i r g i n i a f o r u t i l i t y - g r a d e c o a l r a n g e between $85 and
$98 p e r t o n , depending on q u a n t i t y and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n .
In
F a y e t t e v i l l e , a price of $48 per t o n was q u o t e d f o r large volumes
of 1 2 , 0 0 0 BTUs p e r pound of c o a l . T h i s would decrease t h e d o l l a r per-BTU v a l u e f o r c o a l i n t h e t a b l e above from $3.92/mm BTU t o
$2.00/mm BTU, a s i g n i f i c a n t decrease b u t s t i l l a h i g h e Q c o s t t h a n
the rubber f u e l a t $1.38/mm
BTU.
This c a l c u l a t i o n reduces t h e
s a v i n g s i n t h e above example t o $96 t o $192 a month, o r ' , $ I , l O O t o
$2,300 p e r year.

The f e a s i b i l i t y o f m a r k e t i n g t h e r u b b e r c h i p s f o r $48-per-ton
d e l i v e r e d is q u e s t i o n a b l e . The l o w e s t p r o d u c t i o n c o s t s d e t e r m i n e d
f o r t h e r u b b e r c h i p p i n g i n d u s t r y a r e between 1 and 2 c e n t s p e r
pound.
The s i t u a t i o n p r e s e n t s a v e r y m a r g i n a l p r o f i t , and d o e s
not provide f o r t r a n s p o r t a t i o n c o s t s .
Because t h e r u b b e r has a
h i g h e r BTU v a l u e t h a n c o a l , we c a n assume t h a t it c a n b r i n g a
price a t l e a s t e q u a l t o c o a l .
A mean e s t i m a t e f o r p r o d u c t i o n i s
$0.015
p e r pound;
t r a n s p o r t a t i o n by t r u c k
( o n e way)
is
a p p r o x i m a t e l y $1.40 per mile w i t h a t r a i l e r l o a d o f 40,000 pounds
$0.000035 p e r pound p e r mile ( u p t o a b o u t 300 miles f o r
<l
cent).
T h i s y i e l d s a f i g u r e of aboilt 25 c e n t s p e r pound o f
s h r e d d e d r u b b e r d e l i - v e r e d w i t h i n a 300 mile r a d i u s , o r $ 5 0 / t o n
($l060/mm BTUs, which i s s t i l l c h e a p e r t h a n c o a l ) .

There is a l s o a q u e s t i o n of t a x credit i n t h e sale of t h e

tire-derived fuel.
F a c t o r i n g i n s u c h a price s u p p o r t c o u l d make

TABLE 4

Tire-derived fuels $40/ton

14,500 BTU/lb

$1.38/mm BTU

Kentucky soft coal

IlO/ton

14,000 BTU/lb

3.92/mm BTU

.064/ccf

1,000 BTU/CU ft

6.40/mm BTU

.30/lb

21,590 BTU/lb

13.90/mm BTU

1.15/gal

19,300 BTU/lb

7.80/mm BTU

Natural gas
Liquid propane
Home heating oil

80

the difference in the product's marketability. The question i s

whether adequate profits can be generated to take advantage of the
federal tax credit.
The tax credit is presented in Section 29 of the Internal
Revenue Code, and is equal to $3 multiplied by the number of
barrels of oil equivalent represented by the alternative fuel.
For 36,000 tons of tire-derived fuel this credit would be valued
at $559,000 (barrel oil equivalent = 5.8 million BTUS).
There were over 380 hog-fuel boilers or kilns in North
Carolina at approximately 270 sites in 1981. Most of the boilers
are rated between 6 million and 12 million BTUs per hour, with
many operating upward to 35 million to 50 million BTUs per hour.
Assuming a 16-hour, 300-day year, with an average hourly BTU
value of 12 million, a plant using a 10-percent rubber chip
supplement would consume 384,000 pounds (192 tons) of rubber chip
per year. If 50 percent of the plants currently using hog-fuel
were to supplement their fuel with IO-percent rubber chip a demand
( A list of hog-fuel
of 36,000 tons per year could be created.
boilers i s included at the end of this appendix.)
Other small- to medium-sized industrial steam boilers
utilizing moving grate or fluidized bed furnaces, and industries
firing clay and cement products are also likely candidates for the
use of rubber chips as fuel supplements.
Prospective Product Value and Asphalt-Rubber Market in fforth
Caro1ina
Walter Clark, CCCCC member and paving contractor, stated that
12,090 tons of asphalt will pave one mile of 20-foot pavement 2
inches thick, which is standard new roadbed. Frank Pace in the
Materials Division of the North Carolina Department of
Transportation (DOT) reported that that department laid 393 miles
(2,375,000 tons) of asphalt for resurfacing, and 101 miles
(1,226,000 tons) of new road construction in the first reporting
year.
Assuming the validity of tests showing that rubberized
asphalt is twice as durable as the, conventional mix, North
Carolina would have realized, over the lifetime of the pavement, a
savings of 3.6 million tons of asphalt, and the equivalent of
300,000 gallons of petroleum through reduced resurfacing
requirements (All Seasons Surfacing Corp.).

81

'

S o u r c e s w i t h i n t h e p a v i n g i n d u s t r y s t a t e t h a t 1,000 g a l l o n s
o f p e t r o l e u m a r e consumed t o pave a o n e - l a n e mile o f a s p h a l t a n
a v e r a g e o f two i n c h e s t h i c k .
The c i t y o f F a y e t t e v i l l e h a s a l r e a d y begun s e a l i n g cracks i n
pavement u s i n g a crumb r u b b e r f o r m u l a t i o n . The P r i s m o a p p l i c a t i o n
machine is u s e d , and t h e r u b b e r p r o d u c t i s o b t a i n e d from Prismo.
The North C a r o l i n a d e a l e r f o r t h e p r o d u c t , Pavement Technology
Systems ( P T S ) , r e p o r t e d t h a t F a y e t t e v i l l e p u r c h a s e d an estimated
100,000 pounds o f t h e material f o r t h e p r e c e d i n g y e a r .
The
p r o d u c t is p r i m a r y a s p h a l t w i t h a b l e n d o f 18- t o 2 2 - p e r c e n t
crumb r u b b e r .
I n d i c a t i o n s from PTS were t h a t t h e market f o r
r u b b e r i z e d c r a c k s e a l a n t i s growing q u i c k l y ; and t h a t a l t h o u g h
F a y e t t e v i l l e was one of t h e l a r g e s t p u r c h a s e r s , o t h e r c i t i e s and
t h e s t a t e were a l s o buying l a r g e q u a n i t i t e s .
The F a y e t t e v i l l e E n g i n e e r i n g Department estimates t h a t 5 t o 6
miles o f new s t r e e t s were l a i d l a s t y e a r , w i t h 7 miles resurfaced.
As r e p o r t e d above, t h e s t a t e DOT l a i d a p p r o x i m a t e l y 392 miles of
r e s u r f a c e and 101 miles o f new r o a d bed.
T h i s i n d i c a t e s a rough
f i g u r e o f 3,700 t o n s o f a s p h a l t l a i d i n N o r t h C a r o l i n a l a s t
r e p o r t i n g y e a r , e x c l u d i n g l o c a l c i t y and c o u n t y p a v i n g p r o j e c t s .

Estimates f o r t h e optimum p e r c e n t a g e of crumb r u b b e r t o

i n c l u d e i n a s p h a l t b i n d e r ( b i t u m e n ) a r e a s h i g h as 25 p e r c e n t ,
w i t h most s u c c e s s f u l tests r u n n i n g a b o u t 18 t o 20 percent.
The
f i n i s h e d a s p h a l t c o n c r e t e i s 7 p e r c e n t b i n d e r by N o r t h C a r o l i n a
DOT s p e c i f i c a t i o n s ; t h u s , pavements w i l l c o n t a i n a p p r o x i m a t e l y one
Given t h e s e
52,000
p e r c e n t crumb r u b b e r by w e i g h t .
t o n s of crumb r u b b e r c o u l d have been a b s o r b e d
asphalt paving i n d u s t r y i n North Carolina.
,
The 1985-1986 D i r e c t o r y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a M a n u f a c t u r i n g Firms
l i s t s a s p h a l t p a v i n g firms under SICS 2591 and 2592.

A 1984 amendment t o t h e R e s o u r c e C o n s e r v a t i o n and Recovery

Act (RCRA) i s a welcome s t i m u l u s t o i n t r o d u c i n g crumb r u b b e r t o
t h e a s p h a l t i n d u s t r y on a l a r g e s c a l e .
The law e s t a b l i s h e s t h a t
t h e f e d e r a l government s h o u l d more v i g o r o u s l y u s e i t s p u r c h a s i n g
power t o s t i m u l a t e demand and u s e of r e c o v e r e d materials.
The
amendment s t a t e s t h a t t h e U .S E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n Agency
(U.S. EPA) i s r e q u i r e d t o i s s u e a procurement g u i d e l i n e f o r t i r e s
by October 1 , 1985.
S p e c i f i c a l l y , t h i s refers t o t h e rubber
r e c o v e r e d from t i r e s f o r u s e i n a s p h a l t - r o a d c o n s t r u c t i o n and
m a i n t e n a n c e . The F e d e r a l Highway A d m i n i s t r a t i o n was d e s i g n a t e d as
a p r o c u r i n g agency and i s " f u l l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r implementing
As o f
g u i d e l i n e s and o t h e r r e q u i r e m e n t s " o f RCRA S e c t i o n 6002.
t h e time of p r e p a r a t i o n o f t h i s r e p o r t , no a c t i o n was b e i n g t a k e n
o n t h e above d i r e c t i v e .

82

TABLE 5

COUNTY

COHPANY

S
. 1a mnc e

C r a f t i q I le

Alexander

Bassctt Uphol.

.%PDRESS
2 . 0 . Box 428
Mebane, 273G2

Clytic
Be1sr:gia
9?.9/56? 1212

Tu cfi i t ure

Plant 9
P . O . BOX 561
Hiddenite,

James Fennel

Iurniture

Furniture

704/632-2267

28635

Alexander

Chaircraft, Inc. P.O. Box 3466

Hickory, NC

Wayne

Wi i 1 iams
704/495-8291

Alexander

Lewittes Furn.

P.0.Box
1027

Joe Meister
Furn.
704f632-4271

J.F. HcLeod

Tay 1ors
ville,
28681
A1 leghany

None

Anson

Hckon Plywood

Box Co.

US 51 N
P.O. Box 919
Wadeaboro,
28170

Ashe
Ashe

Central Ashe
Lumber Co.

Phenix Chair
Company

Ashe

Weavers Man.
Company

Plywood,
704/694-4175 Lumber &
F u m . ?arts

Doggett Soad
JafferEon

%ward Jones

w.

919/246-7188

Hice Street

J . C. Ashley

W. Jefferson
28694

919/4?5-136;

Route 1
Box 27

Bob Barr

',
Lunter

Furnit)ire

Sofa Frames.

919/246-8891

W. J e f f e r s o n

28694
Ashe

W. J e f f e r s o n
Wood Prod.

P.O. Box 389

W. Jefferson
28694

Awry

None

Beaufort

F.

C. Howell

6 Sons

P . O . Box 40
Pinetown
27865
83

Dimension
Robert
Troutman
Stock
919/246-7121

Vernon Howell Lumber

919/927-3113

c o m
Beaufort

COWANY

--

Moss Planing
Hili

ADDRESS
515 Vater St.
Washington
27889

de4 11f o r t

Singer Furn.

Company

Vi 11iam

Lumber

Furniture

Litchficld
319/946-6431

f . 0 . Box i62?
Washin 8ton
27889

Ikc Edward
Y19/946-5165

Beaufort

Younce & Ralph

Lumber Co.

P.O. Box 28
Belhaven

James Youncr L u b e r
9 19/963-6166

Bertie

Coulbourn
Lumber Co.,
Inc.

P.b. Box 565

Winasor,
23983

Bob Hoggard
919/794-3526

Lumber

Bertie

Lea Lumber &

Plywood Co.

P.O. Box 489

Windsor,

Hay Coodwin
9 19/ 794-3151

Plywood

27963
Bertie

Thompson Co.
Inc

Hwy 13 N
Windsor *

3.V. Thompson Lumber

919/794-3716

27983

Sladen

None

Brunswick

Burk Parsons &

Bolby Corp.

415 Bradley
Creek Point
Wi Lmington
28403

Buncombe

Blalock Lumber

P.O.. Box 5273 Earry

Ashevi 1l e
Blalock
28803
704/274-0335

Fur iiture
Compqnents
,

Black Ht.
Charles
P.O. Box 1299 Hendrickson
Morgaoton 28655

Furni tare

P.O. Box 8729 Don A l l i s o n

Furniture

co *

Buncombe

Drcxel Heritage
Furnishings

Buncorbe

Ethan Allen,
Inc

As heviil e

Stanly
Winborne
919/371-3131

Treated Telc- 1
phone Poles

;t

704/253-9304

28804
Buncombe

Woodcrsfters,
ItLC.

Bur Ire

Crestline- Furn.

P.O. Box 717

Weaverville,
28787

Lee Harler
704/645-3055

501 Hoyle S t .
Box 40

Jack H o i l l i a n Furniture
704/874-2124

Valdesc 28690

Burke

Drcxcl Ent.

P1.nt
1
W. Burns
North Hain S t . 704/433-3381
Drcxel 28619

84

Furniture

.
COUNTY

COWANY

Burke

Drcxcl Ent.

ADDRESS

--

CONTACT

Plant 3 & 5
C. T a l b e r t
P.O. 3ox 1299 704(433-3552
Mo rgan ton

T
Furniture

Purni t u r e

Veneer

28655

Burke

Drexel Ent.

Plant 6
P.O. BOX 630

W.A. llord

704/433-3136

Mrganton
28655

Burke

Drcxel Ent.

Plant 60

Charles

P.O. Box 1299 ~ M O U

?lorgant on
704/438-3273
28655
Burke

Henrcdon Furn.

P.O. Box 70

Wm. Smith
704/437-5261

Furniture,
Lumber.

Horgantoa
38653

P.O. Box 2468

Hickory 28601

704/397-5551

Fiberboard

Buck Deal
704/758-9811

Furniture

.
I

Buck Deal
133 Bunhare11 704/758-9811
Lenoir, 28645

Furniture

Burke

Impact F u n .

Cabarrus

None

Caldwe 11

Bcrnhardt
P l a n t #l

P.O. Box 310

Morganton B-P
Lenoir, 28645

Caldwcll

Bernhardt

P.O. Box 740

Plant #2

$\

Caldwell

Bernhardt
P l a n t #3

P.O. Box 740

Lenoir 28645

Buck Deal
Furni t u r c
734/758-9811

Coldwell

Bernhardt
Plant #5

P.O. Box 740

Furniture

Lenoir, 28645

Buck Deal
704/758-9811

C8ldwe 11

Bernha rd t
P l a n t 17

P.O. Box 740

Lcnoir, 28645

Buck Deal.
?04/758-9811

Furniture

Co ldwell

Broyhill Ind.

Harper Furn.
Prospect S t .
Lcnoir, 28645

Ed Beach

Furniture

Lcnoir Furn.

Ed Beach

Furniture

P.O. Box 700

Lenoit, NC

704/758-3671

C8ldwell

B r o y h i l l Ind.

85

f04/758-3671

-COUNTY
.

COWE'ANY

ADDRESS

Ca l d w c l l

Broyhill

Occasional
Plant tfl
Broyhi 11 Park
Lenoir, 28645

E.D. Beach

Furniture

Ca ldwcl1

Broyhill

Occasional
Plant #2
B r o y h i l l Park
Lenoir, 28645

E.D. Beach

Furniture

CaLdwell

Broyhill

Pa eema ke r
B r o y h i l l Park
Lenoir, 28645

E. D. Beach

Furni t u r e

Ca ldwe 11

Ellcr Wood

Lenoir, 28645

Dimension
Parts

706/728-4316

Turning

CONTACT

Ca 1dwell

F a i r f i e l d Chair

Box 311
1331 Harper Ave.
Lenoir, 28645

Furniture

Ca l d w c l l

Grani tc Hardwoods

Granite F a l l s

Lumber

Hanapary Furn.

Norwood St.
Lenoir, 28645

Gene Stumptt

Furniture

Norwood St.
Leaoir, 28645

Gene Sturnptt

Furniture

7041728-3231

P.O. Box 605

J.W. Kincaid F u r n i h r e .

Hudson, 28638

704/728-3261

C.I ldwel 1

No. 1
Ccr l d w e l i

Ca l d w e l l

Hamraary Furn.
Plant #2
Kincaid Furn.

704/396-3395
7041728-3231

Caldwell

Nu-Woods , Inc.

Harrisburg Rd. Fred Fulmer

P a r t i c l e Bd.
Lenoir, 28645 7041758-4463

Ca ldwe11

Robinson
Lumber Co.

Worwood St.

Csldwell

S i n g e r . Furn.

Plant 1
Vest College
Avenue
k n o i r , 28645

Ca ry
Suddre til
7041728-6741

I'urni ture

Ca ldwc11

Singer Furn.

Plant 3
Miller Hill
Road

Peter Roone

Furniture

Plant 5

E. D.
Holtsclaw

Lenoir , 28645

704/728-6741

Lenoir , 286h5

Caldwcll

Singer Furn.

Old Hickory

Road

704/728-6741

Ltnoir 211645
$6

Furni ture

.
cam

COMPANY

ADDRESS

CONTACT
_-

Ca ldwt 11

S i n g e r Furn.

Plant 7
Dana Crump
P.O. Box 1538 304/728-6741

Furniture

Veneer
slicing

Lenoir, 28645
Camden

None

Carteret

Atlantic
Veneer Corp.

Box 660

Beaufort,
28516

Elmo Barnes
919/728-3169

Caswell

None

L'atawta

B a s s e t t Uphol.

Plant 2
E . 20th St.
!?ewton, 28655

C3 t aw ba

B royhi11

P . O . Box 428
iiay IIedrick
Conover, 28613

Conover Furn.

Gary S e t z e r
7341464-0211

Furniture

Box 754
Charles Bost
Conover, 28613 704f464-0251

Furniture

P.O. Box 608 Johnny Bolick F u r n i t u r e

Hickory, 28601 704/328-1881

Broyhill-Newton P.O. Box 509

Newton, NC

Catawba

Conover Chair

Catswba

Century F u n .
co

Furniture

Catawba

co

Richard Reese Fur.iiture

464-335.4

Catawba

Catswba
Catawba

Crowr
Lumber Co.

Hickory, 25601

Chair C r a f t
Furniture

Hickcry, 23601

Desota, Inc.

P.O. Box 1038 Arthur Hoss

W.M.

Lumber '\,

Furniture

Fiztniture

704/397-5531
704/495-8291

Conover, 28613
Catawba

Drexel Ent.

Plant 45
Fred Cochran
Box 2187
704/327-3282
Hickory, 28601

Furniture

Catawba

Fairgrove Futn.

Box 317
Route 3
Hickory, ?IC

Helvin Jones

Lumber

37 Ninth S t .

Bob Alexandct F u r n i t u r e

PI SE

704/328-1801

co

Catawba

Hickory C h a i r
co

Cotawba

704/322-8570

Hickory, 28601

John Xecver
Hickory Han. Co. 700 Highland
Ave, WE
706/345-3838
Hickory, 28601
07

Furniture

COUNTY

CofBAIQp

Ca tawha

Iiickory Wood
Turning

Catawha

Haidco Division

ADDRESS

COIITACT

20 S t . SE
Ed Berry
Hickory, 28601 704/327-2371

Furniture

Box 127

Furri; t u r e /

J i m Waters

Furniture

704/72%-4273

. *:

S . Main St.

Tom Kood
704/428-9361

Haiden, 28650
Catawba

Haxwell Royal
Choir,

1859 Kain
&e.,

SE

Hickory, 28601
C a tawba

Southern Furn.
Co

Catawba

Southern Furn.
co

Box 307
Jerome Bolick Furniture
Conovcr, 28613 704/464-0311

7
.

1711 11th

Jerome Bolick Furniture

704/328-1393

F.S. Boling
Lumber
9 19/ 663 741)Q

Ave., SW

Hickory, NC
Chathae

Boling Chair
Co .

108 W. Third

St.
S i l e r City,
27344

Cha thorn

Chathae Brick &

T i l e Co.

P.Q. Box E 7
Gulf, 27256

H. Stewart

C h a t h a m Novel.

P.O. Box 547

Silcr City,

J.G. Hotris

Brick

919/775-5621
1

Chatham

Furnitukc

919/742-3378

it

27340
Chatham

Cherokee Brick

Rt. 1, Box 5 4 John Hones

Hoacure, 27559 919/775-3211

Chatham

S c l i g llanuf.

Box 469
Silcr City,

?hathas

Triangle Plywood Corp.

Box 164
D.W. Gentry
Hoacure, 27559 919/542-2311

Lumber

P.O. 'Box 168 B i l l Peek

Uoncure, 27559 919/542-2128

Fiberwood

P.O. Box 700 Jerry Hudson

hdrews. 28901 7041321-4251

Furniture

co .

Chatham

Cherokee

Baker Fum. Co.

88

Brick

G. K.
Furniture/
Friedrich
Lumber
9 19/742- 4126

COUNTY

COMPANY

Cherokee

C.R. Brown
Enterprises

ADDRESS

CONTACT

Rt. 1, Box 209 Howard Browu

Andrtws 28904 704/321-5556

Feed

Lumber,
Poplar
Vtneer/Logs

Cherokee

Mundy LumberVeneer

Route 1
Marble, 28905

Zhe rokee

Wood Lumber

P.O. Box 597

Murphy, 28906

Chowaa

Chowan Veneer

Jim 3 a r n e l l
P.O. Box 297
Edenton, 27932 919/482-4411

Veneer

Clay

None

Z leveland

W.Y. E l l i s
E l l i s Lumber Co. 220B S.
L a f t y c t t e St. 704/482-1414
Shelby, 28150

Lumber

Cievel and

3 & C Dyeing

Drawer 208
Shelby, 28150

Sidney Dixon
704/487-2146

Textile

Columbus

Federal Paper
Board Co.

Reigelwood,
28456

Paul Kinsey
919/655-2211

Pulp SI Paper

Federal Paper
b 8 r d CO.

Fed. Paper
Arnour Plt.

R . R.
Richardson

L u b e r '\,

Reigelwood,

919/655-2211

P.O. Box 589

Norm Bulson
919/642-4051

Plywood

P.O. Box 722

Whitevillc,
28472

John

P1-pood

Box 415
Whitcvi l l e

Wkmdell Todd

Lumber

Hr. Karmartuk Veneer

co

James Rogers
704/837-2914

i
1

Columbus

Columbus

George P a c i f i c

Inc
Columbus

Whiteville Plywood

Co 1-bus

W h i tevillc,
28412

In.

Hardwood
Dintnsious

Gardntr, Jr.
919/642-7114

28472

Craven

Georgia-Pacific

P.O. Box 266

Bridgeton,

9 19/637-5295

28591

Craven

Lamiaa ted Wood

P.O. Box 126 tlr. Pontiff

(Cape City)
919/638-1228
dew Bern 28560
89

Vezeer

COUNTY

COHPANY

Davidson

Acme Face

Veneer Co.

ADDRESS
P.O. Box 628
Lexington,
27242

CONTACT

Lewis
Veneer manu.
HcHillian
704/352-2610

?)avidson

Burlington Ind.

Deuton Plant
P.O. BOX 907
Lexington,
27292

Tom Smith
Furni Lure
704/246-5961

Eavidson

Burlington Ind.

Central Warehouse

Tolh Smith
704/246-5951

Furniture,
Whs., Plain.

4.

P.O. Box 907

Lexington, 27292
Oavidson

Burlington Ind.

Philpott Plant Tom Smith

Furniture
P . O . BOX 907
704/246-5961
Lexington,

27292

Davidson

Burlington Ind.

Raleigh Road
Tom Smith
Furniture
Plant
704/246-5961
P.O. Box 907
Lexington, 27292

Davidson

Burlington Ind.

United Plant
P.O. Box. 907

Tom Smith
Furni ture
704/246-5961

Lexington,

27292
Davidson

Carolina Panel
Go.

Davidson

Carolina Veneer
co

Davidson

Cclumbia Panel

Hfg. c o .

P.O. Box 645

Lexington,
27232

Carving Co.

Davidson
Da v i dson

co

Davidson

Dixie Furn. Co.

,i.

P.O. Box 578

Thomasvill.e,

P.3. Box 575

Thoaasvillc
27360

Council Crafts- Box 398

men, Inc.
Denton, 27239
Dnvidson Veneer

l.

SOL E. Sunrise C l i f f Sones Veneer Man.

Thonasvilfe,
919/475-1080
27360

27360
C o m e rc i a 1

Lewis Hattzog Furniture

7041249-5141 Panels
.

P.O. Box 813

Lexington,
27292

Paul

Furoi ture

Call imure
9 19/ 476 72 i 4

Panels

Simon Downs

Furniture
Carvings

919i475-2301

Harold Lowe

Furniture

Veneer Han.

Furniture

704/869-2155
Gene Byedy
704/352-2719

Linwood Plant Prentice

P.O. Box 1008 Sawdcrs
Lexiqgton,
704/246-5971
27292

90

COIMli

COMPANY

Davidson

Dixie Furn. Co.

Lexington P l t . Jack Leonard Furni ture

P.O. Box 008 704/246-5971
Lexington,
27242

Dnvidson

Erwin Lambeth

201 E. Holiy
Mill Road
Thomasvilie,
27360

Lester Myers
9 19/476- 7751

Furniture

P.0. Box 416

Lexingtm,
27292

Charles
Kearns
?04/24?-9710

Veneer Man. . 1

Warren
McKittrick
704/249-9136

Furni t u r e

Furni tiire
Curtis
Leonard
704/246-515 1

ADDRESS

Inc.

Davidson

Gordon Veneer
C O T .

Dav idson

Hehan Furn. C o . 37 Piclcard

Circle
Lexington,
27292

Davidson

Henry Link Carp

P.O. Box 684

Lexington,
27292

-_

cc"TtcT.

gavidson

Henry Link
Corporation

Plant I1
L e w i s Hartzog Furniture
P.O. Box 654
Lexington, 27292

Davidson

Indi8na Holding

P.O. Box 769

Lexington,
27242

Hal Routh
704/249-4901

P.O. Box 689

Jsccb Koonts
704/352-2121

Furnit'yre

R. T.

Veneer Han.

& Frame Co.

Davidson

Link Taylor
Co rporati3r1

Lexington,

Pic. Frame
Houlding
I

27292
Iiavidson

Davidson

Davidson

Linwood Han. Co. P.O. Box 40

Lexington,
27249
Masonite Corp.

Wodcrn Carving
ColPp-y

Davidson

Fabrication
Larry Hoover
Division
919/475-1331
P.O. Box 459
T h o u s v i l l e , 27360

Ma s o n i te

1100 Unity S t . J.L. Bates

Thoaasville,
919/475-2149
27360

Wood Carvings

Southern Veneer P.O. Box 781

CoPp.ny
Thourvillc,
27360

Davidson

Thoucvillt
FUM. Ind.

Phi 11 ips

Plant A

P.O. BOX 339

Thoma~vi1lc.

. 27300

91

Panels

Warren
Armentrout
919/476-7337

Veneer Han.

Ralph McNeil
919/475-1361

Furni turc

COUNTP

Thomaville
Furn. Ind.

navidson

Plant 3

Ralph HcNeil Furniture

P.O. Box 379

319/475-1361

Thomasville,
27300

'.' ~vidson

Thomasville
Fum. Ind.

Plant C

Ralph HrNeiL

P.O. Box 339

919/475-1361

Thoraasvilic ,

Furniture

Furniture

27300
I;

llavidson

Thomasville
Furn. Ind.

Plant E

Raiph Hclteil

P.O. Box 339

919/475-1361

Thoarrsville,
29300
Davi dson

3avidson

Thoarcrsville
Furn. Ind.

Plant FDC
P.O. Box 339
Rtorrrsville,
27300

Ralph HcNeil Furniture

Thomasville
Furn. Ind.

Plant T

Ralph McNeil Furniture

919/475-1361

P.O. Box 334

Plant L
P*O* Box 334

Ralph McNcil Furniture

919/475-1361

Thomaavillr,
27300

919/475-1361

Davidson

Thousville
Furn. Ind.

Th~sville,
27300
Davidson

~h#.~viiie
Veneer Co.

521 Broad St.

Thousv.fllt,

li
D.L. Rickard VcnecL'EIan.

919/476-7891

27360

Llavidsoa

Youq-Bioklc
Corporation

P.O. sox u s 1 Henry Soautt Furniture

Lexington,
704/249-3101

c,

27242
-

Davit

Bethel Church Clyde Barbor Furniture

Road
609/338-6gas
Hocluvillc ,
27028

Davie

DOR Cook
Furniture
Drcxel Heritage Plant 34
7041437-2311
P.O. Drrwtr
1299
Hotganton, 28655

Dup 1i n

Calypso Plywood P.O. Box 188

CIlypSO ,
co
28325

92

Bordtn
Kotnegy
919/658-2542

Plywood

,. .

cou"

C
"

Forsyth

k 8 d p Furn. Co.

CONTACT

ADDRESS

P.O. Box 128 John Brady

8250 Depot St. 919/969-9365
Rural Hall,

Furniture

27045
Fo rsyt h

Fogle F u n . Co.

P.O. Box 12249 Jim Hartin

Furniture

1759 Vargravc 919/724-6362

Winston-Salem,
27107

Forsyth

R. J. 3epolde
Tobacco Co.

Forsyth

Rural Hall
Veneer

Winston-Salem
NC 27201'

David Ligon
919/777-5815

P.O. Box 248

Rural Hall,
27045

L.E. Stauber Plywood

Paul Peddycord Road

Winston-Salem
27103

James
Sheppard
919/722-6202

Forsyth

Sheppard Veneer

Forsyth

Thomasville
P.O. Box 339
Furn. Ind., Inc. Thoeasville,
27360

Forsyth

Unique Furn.
Nakers, Tnc.

Franklin

Rishel Mv.of
P.O. Box 36
Wood Techniques Louisburg

Tobacco Prod. 2

919/969-9363
-

Veneer

Ralph McNeill Furniture

919/475-1361

1665 Stadium Vance Pascal Furniture

Drive
919/784-7140
P.O. Box 4777
4
Winston-Salem, 27107

Rbt. Langley
919/496-5701

Furniture

Lumber

27f49
Gaston

None

Gates

None

Graham

Haluuwill
Hardwoods

P.O. Box 645

Robbinsvillc,
28771

Doyle Brock
7041479-3321

Graham

Burlington
Ilouac Fum.

.Robbiluvillc,
28771

Chuck Patton Furniture

7041479-3311

Granville

Champion Inter.
Corp.
Butler Land &
Timber Co .

P.O. Box 517

J. Kiolppclshue Lumber

Creedmoor,
27522

919/528-1807

216 Woodcreut
Ri(lh Point,
27260

Walter
S1.ckburn

L.

Grccne

GUilfOrd
..

Q1

919/882-9926

Wood Turning

COuNn

Guilford

FurniLure

Globe "A"
Colony Tble.
P.O. Box 907
Lexington, 27292

Purni t u r c

P.O. Box 150

Furniture

Hardwood Dilaensions

Plant A

Nap &ells

P.O. BOX 586

919/886-7101

Bigh Point,

27261
Guilford

Burlington Ind.

Guil f ord

Carsons, Inc.

High.Point,
27261

Gui 1ford

Guilf ord

Ode11 Jones
919/885-4061

C h r l t a D.
Roberts Co.

P.O. Box 3033 Frank Ifeyer

Greensboro,
27402

919/378-1676

Clarendon Ind.

.P.O. Box 30
High Point,

Aubrey Dunbar Furziture

919/882-2537

1.

Jake Campbell Furniture

919/889-2501

27261
Guilf o t d

Drtxel-Heritage
Furni8hiags

Plant 37
P.O. Drawer

1299
Uorganton, 28655
Guilford

George C. Brown

C-PanY

P.O. Drawer B Henry KendaLL Cedar Giood

Greensboro,
919/242-2961
Proces.
27402

t
I

Cuilford

Hayworth Roll & P.O. Box 2244

P.ncl co.
Ifigh Point,

B i l l Athay
919/885-4101

Furnipre

27261
GuiLford

H i g h Point
Woodworking Co.

P.O. Box 1 8 U Gene Kirby

919/ 431- 1139
High Point,

Wood Turnings 1

27261
. _
Cui 1ford

ffarsh F u n . Co.

Cuilford

Cuilford

P . O . Box 870
High Point,
27260

Jimppy Xarsh
919/864-5839

P.O. Box 2516 Richard

Myrtle Dcak Co.

Kitchen
Cabinets

Furniture

High Point,
27261

Groves
919/654-1131

P.O. Box 249

Richard
Bcntly
919/885-4021

Furnit u r e

b y Bradncr
919/885-9141

Fumiture

Higb Point,
.
27261

N.C. Schoonbeck P.0. Box 110

Hi* Point,
c0cllP.w
27261

94

# OF ;i)oTLERS

CONTACT

A S S

Gu i1ford

Proctor .ad
Gamble

Btowas Summit Norplan Klein

919/621-9222

Toiletries

Guilford

Ritch Face
Veneer Co.

P . O . Box 1837 Harosd Ritch

High Point,
919/883-4184
27261

Veneer Flanr

Guil ford

Silver Craft
F u n . Co.

P.O. Box 1632 Norman S i l v e r Furniture

High Point,
919/431-1134
27261

Guil ford

Snow Lumber Co.

B.O. Box 420

High -Point,
27261

Guil fo r d

Thomasville
Furn. Ind.

Founders Plant Ralph Yclleil

P.O. Box 339 919/475-1362
Thoresville,
.- - - -

Furniture

Cui1ford

T o d i n s o n Furn.

P.O. Box. 911

High Point,

Don Horn
919/885-2121

Furniture

Earl Baker
919/885-8026

Furniture

P.O. Box 2448

High Point,
-27261

Henry B l a i r

Furniture

Colp.nY

Hunter
Dalton
919j882-3396

R e t a i l Lumber 1

27262
Cui 1ford

U.S. Furn. Ind.

Laat part Tbl.

P.O. BOX 2127
High Point,

27106
Guilford

Woodmark Orig.

Holifax

Beasley Lumber

Box 427
Scotland Neck
27834

W. Beasley
Lurnber
,
919/826-6121

Ealifax

Coastal Lumber

Box 829
Weldon, 27890

Paul
Barringer
919/536-3117

Box 666
Enf i e l d ,

27823

Daniel
Lumhe r
Bossart
919/445-3 131

Reid Hinron
919/537-6011

C0mp-v

Halifax

Georgia-Pacific
Corp.

Lumber

H8lif.r

Chupion Inter.
bcmar-W8ldorf
Division

Roanoke
R8pid8, 27870

blifu

Weldon Veneer
Co., Inc.

Box 586
R. B.
Lumber
Weldon, ,27890 Pfetc8lfe
919/536-3143

narnett

Hardwood Dimen.

F.O. Box 1161

Dunu, 28334

Inc

II.ruooa

Chupfoa Inter.

Canton, NC

Pulp

Furniture

Squarer

Larry Griffin Pulp b paper

644-2602
I

aI;

-_

COUNTY

COMPANY

laywood

Lea Industries

ADDRESS
P.O. Box 1140

Wayncsville,
28786

CONTACT

Laminated

Box h

1
*

Henderson

Ralph Wilson
Plastics

F l e t che I:
28732

Iicrt f o rd

Bennett Box &

P a l l e t Co.

P . O . Box 249
J . P . Koren
Akoskie, 27910 919/332-5026

Pallet Mfg.

Geo'rgia-Pacific

P.O. Box 507

Jimmy Gsccr
Ahoskic, 27910 919/332-3197

Limber

P . 0 . Box 97
Murfrecsboro,
27855

Baskets ,
Lumber,
Veneer

Hertford

Corp.
Ye r t f o rd

Georgia-Pacific
corp.

H e r t f ord

Ramsey Lumber
co

Dale Kaulfus
704/684-2351

FurniZu.re

W. D .
Doughtie
919/338-4121

P.O. Box 645

B i l l Bailey
Lumber
Ahoskie, 27910 919/332-2146

None
None
1redell

A.L. Shaver h
Sons

Box 1408

W.L. Skaver

StatesvilLe,

704/872-6572

Parniture

NC
T redell

XJredell

Bassett Fum.
Ind

P.O. Box 626

Bernkardt Furn.

Plant No. 8
Bar 765

Firrnitflrc

lurni ture

Furniture

R.,F. Bunton
704/872-5517

Dowels

L. s.
Gilliam, Jr.
704/872-6515

Furniture

Statesville,
28677
800 ffonroc
Statesvillt,

G.P. S c o t t
704/873-0581

Furniture

Jzmes Minter

B a s s e t t , VA

Buck Deal
704/754-5381

Tmutman, NC
__

I redell

k m h a r d t Furn.

Plant NO. 4
Buck Deal
608 Yonroe St. 704/754-5381
Statesville,
28677

Iredell

Bunton's Dowel
Works

Box 1359
Statcsvtllc,
28677

Iredell

Gilliae Fun.

co
Iredell

St a ttrvllle

Chair Co.

Box 1610

28677
96

COUNTY

Iredell

ADLilzEss

"C

Statcsvillt
P.O. Box 707
Plywodd Sr Veneer Btatcsville,

CONTACT
A.U.

Kimball
706/873-3239

Plywood

Richard
tautoncc
704/572-0301

Furai t u r e

28677

Iredell

Thonet Ind.

130 w.
Allison St.
Statesville,
28677

Jackson

Hemes see
Lumber Co.

Box 5
Sylva, 28779

If. E.
Hcrlona Ld
704/586-4044

Cumber

Johns ton

Guy C. Lee

P.0. Box 150 Ross Larape

210 N 10th St. 919/934-3930
Smithfieid 27577

Lumber

Jones

None

Lee

Sanford Brick
CO

Lee

P.O. Drawer

e a

R. E.

Brick

Brickhouse
Sanford, 27330 919/776-8223

Singer Fun.

Box 40

Sanford,
27330

Carl Brandon
9'19/775 -4211

Furniture

Lcnoir

Frank S. Love
co *

Box 1304
Frank Love,
Furcit.are
Kinston, 28501 819/523-9776 Squares

Lenoir

Coastal Lumber
Company

P.G. BOX 1200 .Jim Johnson

Kinston, 26591

Burris Ind.

Burris Blvd.
Lincolnton,

Lincoln

Wapne Burris

Lun3er

i
r"urnitii>qc

7041735-0441

28092

Lincoln

Cochraue Chair
co.

Lincoln

Hwy. 321 N
Lincolnton,

Cochrane Fura.

Hwy. 321 N
Lincolnton,

Macon

P.O. Box 230

Zickgraf

Franklin,
28734
Madison

None

tlartin

Robersonville

John Huffman Fiirniture

704/735-8201

John Huffman Furniture

704/735-8201

Wayne
Faulkner

Ho rdwood
Flooring

Display f i x t u r c stands"Ha 1lma rk"

704/524-2131

Product8

CO.

P.O. Box 1018 Phil Bullock

Robttronville, 919/795-3114
27871

!!f(l.

Martin

Ueyerhacurar Co. Weyerhaeuser

Plant
Plymouth,
27962

i7

Richard h a l l Paper

919/793-8111

1
1
1

.
.!SOU"

ADDRESS

CoHPJuY

CONTACT

Weyerhaeuser (Conthued)

1
McDowell

Bradley Lumber
co

P.O. Box 518

Marion, 28752

Xeith Bradley Lumber

704/652-7844

HcDovell

Broyhill Furn.

436 W. Hendersoa S t .
Harion, NC

Richard Crisp Furniture

MlcDowt11

Drexel P l t . 2

Blue Ridge S t . C.A. Turner

h r i o n , 28752 704/652-2535

5cl)owell

H & B Lumber

HcDowell

b r i m o n t Furn.

I"icDowel1

Furniture

Fred 9oyd
704/756-4164

Luaber

Box 1480
.%rioa, 28752

Jack
McCall iard
704/652-2112

Burni t u r e

Old F o r t
Finishing P l t .

Box 609
Old F o r t ,
28762

Buck Byru
704/668-7511

',
Textiile
,

McDowell

Pine Valley
Division
Ethan Allen

Drawer 639
Old Ford,
28762

Bob Weeks
704/668-7177

Furniture

Hecklenburg

Huntcrsvil l e

Thwas
Hayberry
704/875-6587

Lumber

Yitchell

Henredon Furn.
h d
Spruce Pine

Jennings

Furniture

Lumber

Co. Marion, NC

HcCotd Road
Hardwoods, Inc. Huntersville,
28078

Altapass Road
Spruce Pine,
28777

Bryan;
704/765-9641

'

Plant

3ontgoccry

Jordan Lumber &

SUPPlY

100 Industry
Ave

R.B. Jordan
439-6121

nt. Gilead,
27306
hoore

Stadley Furn.

k s t End,

98

NC

Vernon D8vi.s Furniture

919/673-4421

Randolph

Dixie Furn. Co.

,ishcboro, NC

Furniture

Furniture

Doug Grcgson Furniture

Liberty, 27298 929/622-2201

E. K i n e St.

Veneer

Veneer

Noel1
Brinkley

Randolph

Gilbert Herd-

Archdale

919/431-2127

wood Center
dandolph

Crcgson nfg. Co. P . 0 . Box 276

Randolph

Liberty Veneer

Kc3 ndolph

co .

Quality Veneer
CorPp-y

Randolph

Stout Chair Co.

L i b t w y , 27298

P.O. Box 55
Liberty,
27298

P.O. Box 127

Liberty,
27298
'

Rando 1ph

Wagner Woodcraft 4627 S . b i n

High Point,
Inc .
27263

Raado 1ph

Weyman Company

Ramscur
27316

Richmond

Brown Holding

P.O. Box 188

Hoffman, 28347

CO

Robeson

Robcson

Liberty Chair
CO0p-Y

Shannon Wood
Products

Drawer E
Liberty,
27298

J . C. Ritch
9 19/ 622-2211

Charles Hicks Furniture

9 19/622-2286

Dave Edwards

Furniture

James Mintscr Furniture

704/629-7511

Window
no I6 iag

Fumituke

W.B. k l t o a
9 19/622-4261

Furniture
Squares

Box 26,
Hwy. 7 1
Shannon, NC

Brick

Rockingham

Pine Hall B r i c k
I Pipe

Box 611
Hadisoa, 27025

Roc kingham

Stonevillc
Furniture -

Henry S t .
Stoneville,
27048.

Frank
Simpson
919L573-9852

Rowan

Goodman Lumber

Lumber S t .
Box 859
Salisbury,
28144

Lloyd Goodman Lumber

704/633-2421

Rowan

.Irc&ur Brick
6 Tile

Box 1249
Salirbury,

.John
Iscnhour

28144

704/636-0l31
99

Furni t u t e

Brick

COUNTY

COHPA!R

ADDRESS

f!ew Honover Southern Wood

Piedmont
Worthampton

Box 458
Wilmington,

CONTACT

H.O. P h i l l i p s Wood Treating 1

919/762-9678

Georgia-Pacif ic Hardboard
Jim Vinson
Hardboard
Plant
919/585-1323
Box 348
Conway, 27820

Hwy. 166

Northaapton Union C m p

Seaboard,

T.W. Bishop
Lumber
913/589-2011

27376

US 17 N
Damrood
Plywood
Jacksonville, Harshburn
28540
919/346-9741

Gnslow

Weyerhaeuser
C-Pany

Orange

White Fun.

Orange

White F u n .
(Hebane Plant)

Poalico

None

Pasquotank

A.E. Johnson &

P.O. Box 367 Bernie Bean Furniture

(Hillsboro Plt) Hebane, 27302 919/563-1217

sons
?asquotank

L.R. Foreman
sops

Sr

P.O. Box 367

S.A. White
Furniture
Hebane, 27302 919/563-1217

1
'

Route 5
El izabeth
City, 27909

Don Johnson
919/771-24ao

Lumber

P.O. Drawer
1306
Elizabeth
City, 27909

Frank Kramer

Stru tural
L w pr

Cewey Berry
Cabinet fffg.
919/330-5541

919/335-2949

\\

Pasquotank

I M F u n . Co.

3oute 4
Elizabeth
City, 27909

Pasquotank

J. W. Jones

Route 3
J. W. Jones Lumber
Box 410
919/771-2223
Elizabeth City
27909

Pcadcr

Route 1
Rocky Point,
20457

Gurney Hood
Wood Turning
919/675-2784

Pitt

Edinburg HardP.O. Box 189

wood Luber Co, Washington,
27889

Chap Thompson Lumber

919/758-7460

1
-c

Polk

HOnC

Randolph

Carrick Turning 1868 Prospect J.R. C8rrick Wood Turninss 1

Works
H i g h Point,
919/175-2111

(E P Wood
Tumingr

27261
100

COUNTY

Rowan

ituthtrford

ADDRESS

COMPANY

CONTACT

Box 1256
Salisbury,

R.V. Goodman Lumber

Lumber & Supply

Parton Lumber

Rt. 2 , Hky.

Carl Parton
704/287-4257

Salisbury

704/636-5821

28144

64E

Lumber

FIirniturc

Rutherfordton,
28139

Rutherford

Rutherfordton
F u r n i t u r e Co.

Box 69
Jimmy Lawing
Rutherfordton, 704/287-4276
28076

Rutherford

Stonecutter

Uills cow.

Spiadall,
28160

H.B. Huggins T e x t i l e

Clinton

Herman
Stewart

704/631-2341

Sampson

Keener Lumber
eo.

Scotland

None

St a n l y

Collins & Aiknrn Auto Division Joe fforgan

Textile
Box 580
7 0 q 982-9 111
Albcaarle,
28001

Stanly

Smith Noveity

co

Lumber

2120 C h a r l o t t e Coleste Smith F u r n t t u r c

Road.
704/982-7413
i

Albemarle,

28001

Stokes

None

Surry

E l k i n Furn. Co.

XWY 258E
E l k i n , 28621

Russell
Brewer
919/335-1711

Furniture

iurry

Ht. Airy Furn.

C0mp-v

Box 1247

Ron
Froburger

Furniture

Bawman George F u r n i t u r e
919/374-5001

Surry

Na tional-Mt
Airy Furn. Co.

U t . Airy,
27030

Long H i l l Dt.
Ut. A i r y ,

919/786-8383

27030
Sws in

S a d d l e c r a f t Inc. Box 308

Cherokee,

P.K. F e r r e e
704/497 -4051

Leather Prod. 1

Horace

Furniture

28719

Swain

Singer Furn.

Bryson C i t y ,
28713

Wisgin8
7041433-2121

101

. .-.

COUNTY

Tyrtcll

Butler Land &

Timber Co.

Union

Genwove US Ltd.

Vance

None

Wa kc

P.O. Box 407

Columbia,
27925

Golden
Simpson

Lumber

Box 310

Bob Solow
Veneer
Indian Trail, 704/521-7628
28079

Dotothcr Dix
Hospital

S. Boyion Avt. C.A. Davis

Hospital
Raleigh, 27611 919/733-5331

Wake

Kemp Furniture

P.O. Box 825 J. Tarpley

Furniture
Wendell, 27591 919/365-6333

Wake

Koppers Co.

Box A,
Hwy 54W
tlorrirville,

P . D . Smith

Wood Prod.

319i467-6151

27560

Wasbiagtoa

Uatauga

Georgia-Pacific
Corp

Watauga Uood

P.O. Box 865

27962

Randolph
Lumber
tfinton
919/793-4162

Pfmth,

.BOO=, 28607

Johaay

ProdtlCt8

Furniture
Council
Demention
7041244-8694 P8-S

Wayne

Ctorgia-Pacific Dudley, 28333 Ed Works

C-PlY
919/736-4385

Plywood

-I

i
!

Wayne

Gcor8ia-Pacific
Satmill

P.O. a x 39
Don Roberts
Dudley, 28333

Wayne

Kemp Furn. Co.

Box 1678
Goidsboro ,
27530

Wilkes

Abitibi-Price
Incorporated

Lumber :,

Wm. Kemp, 3r. Furniture

1
1

919/735-2801

P.O. BOX 98
Steve Heyers Exterior
Ro8ring River, 919/696-2751 Siding

28689
W i lkes

American Drew,
Inc.

P l . a t 8 61, #3 T q Brock
Furniture
P.O. Bo. 189 919/838-2121

Wflker

Awricaa Dreu,

Plant Y2
P.O.' Box 489,

Inc.

Torry Brock
919/838-2121

FZilke.

h r i c a n Drev,
Inc

D i u Room
TBrock
Furniture
Phnt
919/838-2121
P.O. box 489
15. Wflketboto,
2-9
.

Wilke.

Burlington lad.

Haw Chair

Tom

P18nt
Rowla, SC

919/835-2025

Fura%tun
\

ADDRESS
k'ilkes

Key City Furn.

CONTACT

Furniture

N. Wilkesboro, Bill Johnson Sctniture

P.O. Box 1049 Lee Rogers

!I. Wilkesboro, 919/838-4191

28659

Vilbes

Xineaid Furn.
co

Viison

28659

319i667-5271

P.O. Box 345

R. L.
Wood
Wilson, 27893 Stephenson
919/237-1141

Steptrcnson
Millwork Co.

Jilson

Veneer Prod.
of Wilson

Yadkin

None

'Iancey

Noac

P.0: Box 857

Wade Jones
Lumber
Wilson, 27893 9 1 9 / 2 ~ - 3 o a 6

103

ABPXNDPX F

THE INTENCO MODEL

SCRAP TIRE GENERATION MODEL

Introduction
Intenco has previously made estimates of scrap
tire generation and possible tire plant locations in
the U.S. These were based on the assumptions of
equal tire wear, mileage and car density across the
country, such that with a knowledge of the total
U.S. scrap tires generated and the population in a
certain area, the tonnage of tires generated in the
area was calculated in proportion to the population.
The present analysis utilizes a different approach
by taking into account:
a.

Revised data for total U.S. scrap tire

generation (1979)

b.

Considers local vehicle population

(statewide)

c.

Car (passenger)
Trucks

The car density varies significantly across the

country, being low in areas with adequate public
transportation. Factor c is important as variations in annual mileage ranges from -21910
(Colorado) to + 34% (Wyoming)from the national
average.

Worn

26 lbs
85 Ibs

22 Ibs
72 lbs

Tire Production. The following number of tire

units were produced (mill units):

1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
Cars:
Replacement

O.E.

147.0 137.5 122.4 ..123.0 130.0

56.5 51.1 36.8 37.0 33.0
-

Total

203.5
- 188.6
- 159.2
- 160.0
- 163.0
-

Trucks:
Replacement

Considers local mileage (statewide)

d. Considers local tread lifetime (statewide).

New

O.E.

32.0 31.5 27.6 28.5 27.0

12.0 10.8 5.8 5.5 4.5
-

Total

44.0 42.3 33.4 34.0 31.5

-

waste Tire G e m a b n . On the average, the lifetime

of a tire is around three years, thus for our estimates
of waste tire tonnage it appears ap+opriate to consider production and car population figures for
1979. That year had 125 million b s e n g e r cars
(81%) and 29.4 million trucks (19%). The replacement factors thus becomes:

Tread lifetime expectancy deviates across the

country from -8% (New York) to + I1910 (New
Mexico) of the national average.

r c = -188.6
- 1.50, rt = 42.3 =
125
29.4

The amount of tires generated in each state is

calculated, and subsequently the amounts generated
in 37 major metropolitan areas with population
above one million.

The statewide car statistics available do not

distinguish between passenger car and trucks, so we
calculate:

Average scrap tire tonnage per vehicle and year:

Total Tonnage of Scrap Tires. The following

+ 0.19 x 72 x

information has been gathered through contacts

with Firestone and Goodyear, and from
Reference 1.

(2000j (24.5

Weight of rims. It appears that following average

weight data is applicable:

Source:
r

2.21 x

1.44)

19.7)

ton/car year

Scrap Tire: A Resource and Technology E v a l u a t i o n of Tire

Pyrolysis and Other Seleatedliltarnativa lWchrlaloqies,
U.S. Department of: Energy, November, 1983.

104

Actual vehicle registrations for each state were

used t 3 determine Ci/Ctot, The relative local
mileage was determined from gasoline tax records
from which factor mi is calculated:

This corresponds to a total U.S. scrap tire

generation of:
6

Stat = 154.4 x 10

-2

x 2.21 x 10

= 3.412 mill tons/yeara

ststewid8 Tire Generetion. The scrap tire generation for each individual state is calculated as
follows:

where fi and ftot are annual highway fuel consumption for each state and total U.S.respectively.
The distribution of tread life expectancy across
the country was determined according to Tire
Science and Technology data. The computation of
the relative tread life correction factor for each state
is:

where Ci and Ctor are state and total U.S. vehicle

population respectively, mi is a correction factor for
local state average mileage, and li is a correction
factor for local treadwear (or tire life).

1.

a. This number includes an arithmetical error; this does not,

however, invalidate the conclusions of the model.

= -Li.
-

105

APPENDIX G
CITATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
A i r P r o d u c t s , llEconomic P r o p o s a l f o r C r y o g e n i c Tire R e c y c l i n g
F a c i l i t y t 1 , p r e p a r e d by David C a r r o l l , A l l e n t o w n , PA, 1982.

Air P r o d u c t s , llCryo-Grind System f o r C r y o g e n i c G r i n d i n g and

R e c y c l i n g t 1 , A 1 l e n t o w n , PA, u n d a t e d .
Air P r o d u c t s , ltCryogenic G r i n d i n g : An E f f i c i e n t Method f o r
R e c y c l i n g S c r a p Rubber", A l l e n t o w n , PA, u n d a t e d .
A l l S e a s o n s S u r f a c i n g C o r p o r a t i o n , ltPlus-Ride A s p h a l t R u b b e r i z e d
Road S u r f a c e Compoundf1, p r o d u c t b r o c h u r e , B e l l e v u e , WA, u n d a t e d .

A r i z o n a R e f i n i n g Company, l t S p e c i f i c a t i o n f o r ARM-R-SHIELDIl,
Phoenix, AZ, undated.
Brad A s s o c i a t e s , t t A S t u d y C o n c e r n i n g t h e F e a s i b i l i t y o f T i r e
C o l l e c t i o n and R e c y c l i n g i n t h e Chester, N e w York G e o g r a p h i c a l
Area,", Akron, O h i o , 1980.

B u r d i c , S. & S. Dewan, l l C y r o g e n i c Rubber R e c y c l i n g : An Economic

P r o p o s a l t 1 , S m a l l Farms A c t i o n Group, L i n c o l n , NE, 1984.
B u r d i c , S . , "Department o f T r a n s p o r t a t i o n Briefst1, I n s t i t u t e f o r
L o c a l S e l f - R e l i a n c e , Washington, DC, 1985.
i
C o l l i n s , J e r o m e , p e r s o n a l c o r r e s p o n d e n c e , C h i e f , Waste P k o d u c t s
U t i l i z a t i o n Branch, U.S. Department o f E n e r g y , Washington, D.C.,
1984.
Cordova, J a y , l t D o n l t Miss t h e Economic B o a t " , I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Symposium on S c r a p Tires, 1982.

Dodds, J . e t . a l . I t s c r a p T i r e s : A R e s o u r c e and T e c h n o l o g y
E v a l u a t i o n of T i r e P y r o l y s i s and O t h e r S e l e c t e d A l t e r n a t e
T e c h n o l o g i e s f 1 , U.S. Department o f E n e r g y , I d a h o N a t i o n a l
E n g i n e e r i n g L a b o r a t o r y , 1983.
U.S. E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n Agency, llRubber Reuse and S o l i d
Waste Management", SW-22C, 1971

Energy Recovery S y s t e m s , I t A S t u d y C o n c e r n i n g t h e F e a s i b i l i t y o f
T i r e C o l l e c t i o n a n d Recvclina i n t h e C h e s t e r , N e w York
G e o g r a p h i c a l Area", p r e p a r e d - b y Brad A s s o c i a t e s , I n c . , Akron,
O H , 1980.
E n e r g y Recovery S y s t e m s , I n f o r m a t i o n P a c k e t , Great Neck, N Y ,

1985.

106

Federal Aviation Administration, "Engineering Brief No. 22:

Asphalt Rubber and Rubberized Coal Tar Pitch Emulsiontt,
Washington, DC, undated.
U.S.

Foell, E., "Getting Mileage Out of a Mountain of Tires",

Christian Science Monitor, September 3, 1983.
Gaines, L.L. 8t A.M. Wolsky, "Discarded Tires: Energy
Conservation Through Alternative Usesf1,U.S. Department o f Energy,
Argonne National Laboratory, 1979.
Genstar, product information, 1985.
Greenhut, Steve, llSolvingScrap Tire Disposal Problem is Main Goal
of Baltimore BusinessmanII, National Tire Dealer and Retailer
Association, Dealer News, July, 1985.
Haberman, J.M., personal correspondence, Information Packet for
SerVass Rubber Company, Anjou, Quebec, Canada, 1985.
Hardy, personal correspondence, 1984.
Hendrix, George, llAsphalt Experiments Turn Up Some Winnersv1,
Lincoln Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, September, 1983.
Hinchey, Maurice, New York Legislative Commission on Solid Waste
Management, Examiner, Vol. 1 , No. 2, 1975.
Internal Revenue Code, Sec. 29, 'ICredit for Producing Fuel from a
Nonconventional Source11,applicable after June 30, 198$.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, l1Waste Tire Collectfgn and
Incineration Study Interim Report", prepared by Waste Recovery,
Inc., Roseville, MN, September, 1985.
Murtland, W. ltElastomers: The Stretch Ahead", Elastomerics,
November, 1982.
Murtland, W., !?Reviews of Recent Rubber Recycling Literature,
Worldwidet1,Elastomerics, May, 1983.
Nichols, personal correspondence, 1982.
Ohm, K., lfTurning Tires into Roadstt,Milk and Liquid Solid Foods
Transporter, May, 1982.
Oliver, J., Ifoptimizing the Improvements Obtained by the Digestion
of Comminuted Scrap Rubbers in Paving Asphalts", Australian Road
Research Board, Nunawading, Victoria, 1982.

107

Plggot, M. and R. Woodhams, llRecycling of Rubber Tires in Asphalt

Paving Materials" prepared f o r Environment Canada, Department of
Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto,
March, 1979.
Pliner, personal correspondence, 1985.
Roplex, Inc., Business Plan, Washington, DC, 1981.
Rubber Trends, No. 1 and 2, The Economist Intelligence Unit,
London, United Kingdom, 1985.
Rubber Research Elastomerics, Inc., description o f products and
available services, Minneapolis, MN, 1984.
Schnormeier, R., llEleven-year Pavement Condition: History of
Asphalt Rubber Seals in Phoenix, Arizonat1,Engineering
Supervisor's office, City o f Phoenix, AZ, 1979.
Seldman, Neil, et al. llRe-IndustrializingAmerica:
Recycling Case Study", Biocycle, May/June, 1981.

Rubber

Self-Reliance, Inc. "Feasibility Analysis f o r Cryogenics-Based

Waste Rubber Processing Operation", prepared for Nebraska Small
Farms Action Group, Washington, DC, February, 1981.
SerVaas Rubber Company, Product description, Indianapolis, IN,
undated.
Stark, F., "A New Method f o r Using Recycled Particulate
Palycholorprene, Nitrile and EPDM in Rubber Compounding", Rubber
Research Elastomerics, Inc., Minneapolis, MN., October, 1982.
Staroba, O., "Plant f o r Recovery of Vulcanized Rubber SErap at
Ambient Temperature", EWID Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, I 9 8 1 ,:
Stephens, Jack, "Recycled Rubber in Roads Final Report", School of
Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut,
April, 1983.
Strong, M.P., "The Evaluation of Rubber Asphalt Surface Treatment
in Preventing Fatigue Crack Reflection in Bituminous Overlay
Construction", North Carolina Department of Transportation, April,
1983.

Tresouthic, personal correspondence, 1985.

Tusky, L., llReport of Subcommittee Scrap' Tires As An Energy
Source", State of Minnesota, January, 1984.
Twentyman, J., "Avon Tyre Incineration,11Avon Rubber Company,
Ltd., Melksham, Wilshire, United Kingdom, SN12 8AA, August, 1974.
Waste Recovery, Inc., "Draft Report to Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency on Scrap Tires In Minnesota," October, 1985.
108

APPENDIX H
CONTACT LIST
Adams, Bob, Division of Maintenance and Equipment, North
Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, NC, conversation,
July 1985.
Bennet, Bob, Division of Engineering, Fayetteville, NC,
conversation, August 1985.
Brinson, Lonnie, Property Disposal, Camp Lejeune, NC,
conversation, July 1985.
Burdic, Steve, Small Farms Action Group, Lincoln, NE,
conversation, July/September 1985.
Carter, Larry, Cumberland County Landfill, Fayetteville, NC,
conversation, July 1985.
Collins, Jerome, Chief, Waste Products Branch, U.S.
Department of Energy, Washington, DC, conversation and
correspondence, July/September 1985.
Culbreth, Doug, Energy Division, North Carolina Department o f
Commerce, Raleigh, NC, conversation, July 1985.
Dolland, Paul, U.S. Rubber, Vicksburg, MS, conversation,
August 1985.
t

Emanuel, Norman, Emanuel Tire Company, Baltimore, Mb,

conversation, August 1985.
Gravins, Chuck, Altos Rubber Company, Chandler, Arizona,
conversation, July 1985.
Gruettner, Henry, Free Heat Company, Quakertown, PA,
conversation, September 1985.
Huhle, C., Midwest Elastomers, Wapakoneta, OH, conversation,
July 1985.
Kliolz, Julian, AGI Rubber Company,, Bridgeport, CT,
conversation, July 1985.
Miller, Edgar, North Carolina Governor's Waste Management
Board, Raleigh, NC, conversation, August 1985.

109

Pace, Frank, Division of Maintenance and Equipment, North

Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, NC, conversation,
August 1985.
Peden, Jim, North Carolina Department of Transportation,
Raleigh, NC, conversation, August 1985.
Pridgen, Jim, Firestone, Rocky Mount, NC, conversation,
August 1985.
Rakin, Pau, National Association o f Recycling Industries,
Washington, DC, conversation, July, 1985.
Renfrow, Page, Sanitation Deptartment, Fayetteville, NC,
conversation, August 1985.
Robinson, Bruce, Presti Rubber Products, New Britain, PA,
conversation, August 1985.
Rice, Tom, Airport Standards Engineering and Specifications
Division, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC,
conversation, July 1985.
Roland, Bill, Gresham Lake Landfill, Raleigh, NC,
conversation, July 1985.
Ross, Ben, North Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association,
Raleigh, NC, conversation, August 1985.

Ryss, Carolyn, Supervisor Hazard and Special Wasterunit,

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, MN, conveJsation,
August 1985.
>'

Scharf, Jerry, Rubber Recycling Group, National Association

of Recycling Industries, Washington, DC, conversation, July 1985.
Sites, Margaret, Stalberger, Ltd., Charlotte, NC,
conversation, July 1985.
Staroba, Otto EWID Ltd., Downsview, Ontario, conversation,
August 1985.
Stryk, Dan, Kelly Springfield Tire Company, Fayetteville, NC,
conversation, August 1985.
Tresouthic, R., Portland Cement Association, Skokie,
IL, conversation, August 1985.
Wilson, Westly, Marion Mullen Tire Haulers, Mullen, SC,
conversation, September 1985.

110