GROUND RUBBER APPLICATIONS GROWING

For years, tire derived rubber has been used to manufacture numerous recycled rubber products. By mechanically shredding tires and then magnetically separating the steel from bead and tread wires, high quality rubber granules are liberated for further use.

According to John Sheerin, director of U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association’s (USTMA) End-of-Life Tire Programs, ground rubber applications have been growing recently, including mats of all types, loose fill and poured in place playground surfaces, landscaping mulch and infrastructure applications like sign bases, car stops, and weights.

The USTMA Scrap Tire Management Report for 2021 illustrates that ground rubber uses have increased. More specifically, the report shows that the ground rubber market increased by 29 percent since 2019, making it the largest scrap tire market, consuming roughly 28 percent of all scrap tires in the following areas:

• Molded and extruded products – Products like rubber mats and flooring increased by 25 percent and consumed 485 thousand tons.
• Rubber mulch – Increased by 54 percent and consumed 391 thousand tons. Home and facility improvement activities during Covid shutdowns are credited in part for this.
• Rubber modified asphalt –Consumed slightly less than the 2019 report showed with 141 thousand tons of scrap tires. Covid interruptions to construction funding and market development impeded the growth of this promising market.
• Fine ground rubber – A material used in new tires, coating, sealants and exports consumed another 79 thousand tons of scrap tires.“Unfortunately, scrap tire markets as a whole have not grown quickly enough to absorb the increased generation,” Sheerin said. “Even though the markets for scrap tires have shifted and changed, further development of these markets is needed to keep pace with annual generation.”