Technology: Evonik puts tires on road to sustainability

Essen, Germany – Evonik Industries AG is highlighting the role of a rubber process additive in turning scrap tires into road construction materials.

The company’s Vestenamer-branded additive makes it feasible to process rubber powder from scrap tires for incorporation into asphalt, according to Evonik.

The recycled material is mixed into road construction bitumen or asphalt to improve the quality of the mixtures and to extend the service life of road surfaces.

Use of the additive in producing rubber-modified bitumen has developed amid concerns about road quality and durability in Europe.

“The market for elastomer-modified road surfaces has been growing in Europe over the past years as well,” said Frank Lindner, senior business manager for Vestenamer.

The material significantly reduces cracking, ruts and potholes in the road surface, leading to an extended road service life, explained Lindner.

The use of higher levels of rubber powder in road surfaces can also cut traffic noise by up to 2dB: Evonik noting that a reduction by 3dB is comparable to cutting the traffic volume in half.

According to Evonik, each tonne of recycled rubber power saves some 2.7 tonnes of CO2 which would otherwise be produced if scrap tires were burnt.

Evonik also claims that VOC emissions are also “much lower” in road surfaces containing rubber than in conventional, polymer-modified asphalt types.

Figures presented by Evonik suggest that some 19.3 million tonnes of scrap tires is generated worldwide annually, including over 3.6 million tonnes in Europe.