BTRC can now recycle 5metre mining tyres

By David Shaw, ERJ staff

Gent, Belgium - BTRC, the specialised ultra-high-pressure water tyre recycling experts, have extended their capability to dia 5m mining/4.5 tonnes/tyre with the same technology. Previously the company limited itself to tyres up to 2m diameter 1 tonnes in weight.

Jacques Vervaet, co-owner of the company, said BTRC has made a full design for the upgraded system and is in the final stages of quoting to a mining company, which is seeking to dispose of its large off-road tyres.

“We responded to an international tender,” said Vervaet, adding that BTRC is the only company which can realistically dispose of these tyres. “They said we are the only ones who can recycle these tyres in an ecological and economic way.”

The BTRC system uses a unique, proprietary technology based on UHP ultra-high pressure water jetting to cut and pulverise tyres into a powder.

This is capable of cutting the tyre sidewalls from the tread, and then to pulverise the 22cm thick tread and shoulder into a powder.(average 400µm)

This powder is effectively a surface-activated rubber and behaves in a similar way to unvulcanised rubber.

Vervaet said a private tyre maker based in SE Asia is now buying this powder, described as physically active rubber: (PAR). The company is adding the powder grade 1426 E into its mixers as a 20 percent substitute for natural rubber during the manufacture of high speed trailer tyres (tread compound). and has seen positive results.

Vervaet said BTRC has now sold all its powder output to this tyre company, which would like to use as much material as BTRC can produce.

Vervaet said that with NR prices at over $4/kg, the customer us making a substantial saving by using the recycled material, which is selling at around 1 euro per kg.

Vervaet said the customer is now exploring higher percentages of the PAR material in its tyres ( trailers and trucks).

Vervaet said BTRC is still searching for the right investor in the business and offers a unique technology which solves the problem of disposing large tyres and generating a useful raw material as a result.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

www.btrc.be/