www.SyntheticTurfCouncil.org
Removal,Recovery,ReuseandRecyclingofSyntheticTurfandItsSystemComponents
www.SyntheticTurfCouncil.org
Removal,Recovery,ReuseandRecyclingofSyntheticTurfandItsSystemComponents
PrintedJanuary2013
RevisedJuly2015
Copyright©2015bytheSyntheticTurfCouncil
400GalleriaParkway,Suite1500
Atlanta,GA30339
Nopartofthisdocumentmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic ormechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage orretrieval systemnowknownor to be invented,without permission inwriting from theSyntheticTurfCouncil,exceptbyareviewerwhowishestoquotebriefpassagesinare-view written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper or broadcast. The Synthetic TurfCouncilisanon-pro it,educationalorganizationandpossessesallrightspertainingtothispublication.
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TableofContentsSyntheticTurfEndofLife
Introduction 1
ConvertingSyntheticTurftoaRecyclableMaterial 2
KeepingSyntheticTurfoutoftheLand ill 3
EndofLife—SyntheticTurfMaterialFlowOverview 4
SummaryofReclamationOptions 5
SyntheticTurf
Pro ile 6
Removal 6
ReuseandRecycling,EnergyRecovery,ExtendedLifeCycle 7
CrumbRubberIn ill
Pro ile 8
ReuseandRecycling,EnergyRecovery,ExtendedLifeCycle 8
In illsOtherThanCrumbRubber
EPDMandTPE 10
OrganicIn ill 10
PureSilicaSand 10
CoatedSilicaSand 10
CoatedCrumbRubber 11
Underlayments
ShockPads 12
ElasticLayersorE-Layers 12
IntegratedDrainageandShockPadUnderlayments 12
DrainageMatsandStripDrains 13
ReuseandRecyclingSuccesses 14
LookingAhead 14
AbouttheSyntheticTurfCouncil 15
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SyntheticTurfEndofLife
Introduction
Whathappenswithsyntheticturfonceitreachestheendofitsusefullife?Whatoptionsareavail-abletoavoidtheland ill?Oneofthechallengesthesyntheticturfindustryisworkingonisdeter-mininghowbesttomanagetheremovalanddispositionofsyntheticturfonceithasreachedtheendofitsusefullife,or“EndofLife”(EOL).
Aswithanyrecoveryandrecycleeffort, thediversityofcomponentmaterialsrepresentsatech-nicalandeconomicchallenge.Syntheticturfincludesavarietyofpolymerssuchaspolyethylene,polypropylene,nylon,styrenebutadienerubberandpolyurethane.Naturalmaterialssuchassilicasandandcalciumcarbonatearealsopresent.Thesematerialsmustbeseparated inorder toberecycledandthevarietypresentsauniquechallengenotseeninotherrecycledmaterialssuchasplasticbottles,carpetorplasticbags.
Withthischallengethere isanassortmentof technologiesandprocessesbeingdevelopedtore-duceland illdependence.Theseincludeprocessesforremovingandseparatingtotheextentpos-sible turf components intomaterials that canbe recycledor reused.Theyalso includedevelop-mentofnewmaterialsforturfconstructionthataremoreenvironmentallyfriendly.
Thisdocumentaddressestheissueswithremoval,reclamationandrecyclingofsyntheticturf.Theindustryisworkinghardtoidentifythebestandmosteconomicalapproachestoremoveandpro-cesssyntheticturfmaterialsthathavereachedtheirendoflife.
Whenitistimetomakethedecisiontoreclaimortoland ill,whatisinvolved?Whataretheop-tionsforreclaimingandrecyclingsyntheticturfinstallations?
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ConvertingSyntheticTurftoaRecyclableMaterial
Thegraphiconthenextpageisasimpli iedviewofthedecisionsrequiredandtheoptionsavaila-bleforsyntheticturfremoval.Itshowsthestepsrequiredtoconvertthesyntheticturfmaterialsintoaformthatisusefulforrecycling.Unfortunately,convertingsyntheticturftoarecyclablema-terialthatisuseablecannotbedoneatthepointofremoval.Materialmustbeshippedtodifferentprocessinglocations.Thecostofshippingisoneofthebiggestchallengesassociatedwithsyntheticturfreclamation.
Oncethedecisionhasbeenmadetoreclaimthesynthetic turf, thematerialsmustbeseparated.In illmustberemovedfromtheturf.Furtherseparationmayberequiredtoseparatesandandde-brisfromthein ill.
After the synthetic turfhasbeenseparated from the in ill it canbebrokendown intomaterialssuitable forpost-consumer recycle content in theplastics industry.This canbeaccomplished inmuchthesamewaythatcarpetisreclaimedandrecycledtoday.Theindustryisworkingtoidenti-fythemosteconomicalwaytoprocessturfplastics.
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KeepingSyntheticTurfOutoftheLand ill
Note: Other turf components such as in ill and the underlayment padmay also need to be re-moved,reclaimedandrecycledorreused.
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EndofLife—SyntheticTurfMaterialFlowOverview
Reclaim Reclaim or Landfill?
Remove Turf & Infill
Landfill
Turf Infill
Sand Rubber
Repurpose or Recycle RepurposeRepurpose,
Donate or Sell
Shear Turf
Repurpose
Shred Turf and Backing
Organic Materials
Mixed Thermoplastic
Polymers
Recycle Recycle
TPE
Coated Sand
EPDM
Other
Polyethylene/Other 95/5%
Underlayment
RepurposeRecycle
Shred Underlayment
Rubber or Thermoplastic
Polymers
Segregate on Site
Clean and Separate
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SummaryofReclamationOptions(asofJanuary2013)
*Recycleoptionsasde inedherearecommerciallyviable.Noclaimsaremaderegardinglogisticalviability.Recycleoptionswillvarybyproduct,geographiclocation,andmarket.**Technicallyfeasiblebutnotcommerciallypracticed.
RemovalOptions ReuseOptions RecycleOptions*
WastetoEnergyOptions
SyntheticTurf
Polyethylene **
Polypropylene **
Nylon ** **
In ill
CrumbRubber
EPDM
TPE
OrganicIn ill
SilicaSand
CoatedSilicaSand
CoatedCrumbRubber
ShockPadUnderlayments
PVC/NBRfoam
PolypropyleneComposite
Polyurethane
PostConsumerTireRubber
ElasticLayerUnderlayments
Post-ConsumerTireRubber **
CombinationDrainage/ShockPadUnderlayments
ExpandedPolypropylene **
Cross-linkedPolyethylene **
DrainageMatsandStripDrains
Polystyrene
Polypropylene **
TPO
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SyntheticTurf
Pro ile
Atypicalsyntheticturfsports ieldisabout80,000squarefeet(7,432squaremeters).Itcomprisesabout400,000lbs.ofin illand40,000lbs.ofturf,ortheequivalentof15to2030-yarddumpsters.Almostall ieldsinstalledintheU.S. includeasilicasand/tirecrumbrubberorallcrumbrubberin ill, each ofwhich accounts for 2-3 lbs./sq. ft.weight of the synthetic turf system. Therefore,1,000deconstructed ields represent80million square feetof turfweighing40millionpounds,and400millionpoundsofin ill, including250millionpoundsofcrumbrubber,and150millionpoundsofsilicasand.*
The irstin illed(orso-called3rdGeneration)syntheticturfsports ieldwasinstalledintheU.S.in1997.Attheendof2012,therewereover8,000syntheticturfsports ieldsinuse.Dependingonitsusage,exposuretointensesunlight,maintenance,andotherfactors,asyntheticturfsports ieldwilllastuptoabout10yearsbeforereachingtheendofitsusefullife.Itisestimatedthatby2017,over1,000syntheticturfsports ieldswillbedeconstructedannually:365in2013;571in2014;768in2015;941in2016and1,012in2017.*
Duringthepast10years,syntheticturfhasalsobecomeapopularoptionforresidentialandmu-nicipal landscape, roof gardens, pet parks, playgrounds, airport median strips, and other land-scapeandrecreationuses.Highqualitysyntheticturfusedforlandscapeandrecreationpurposescanlastyearslongerthansyntheticturfsports ieldsbecauseofthereducedusage.
Removal
The industry has developed special equipment toremove synthetic turf sports ields by cutting it,pickingitup,rollingitintoeasilytransportablebun-dles,and,insomecases,removingmostofthein ill.Syntheticturfforlandscapeandrecreationuseisnotso easily removed and bundled because it is oftenirregularlyshaped.
Once the synthetic turf is removedand the compo-nentmaterialsarereclaimed,costwillbeaprevail-ingfactorinthedecisionofhowtodisposeofit.Toconsideravailablereuseandrecyclingoptions,theproximityofthesyntheticturftotheremoval,reuse,recyclingorpowergenerationsitewillbeimportantinordertominimizeandmakeaffordablethetransportationcosts.Infact,whencom-paredtothe$30-60,000costofland illingan80,000squarefootsports ield,itisunlikelythatthecostoftransportingthesyntheticturfand/orin illfartherthan200mileswillbeconsideredfeasi-ble.Therefore,itwillbeimportanttoinvestigateallofthereuse,recycling,andpowergenerationoptionsintheregion.Astheindustrydevelopsnewtechnologiesandoptionsfortherecoveryofthesyntheticturf,theeconomicswillimprove.
*Source:TurfReclamationServices,LLC
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ReuseandRecycling,EnergyRecovery,andExtendedLifeCycle
Herearesomeoftheusestowhicholdsyntheticturfcanbereused:
Baseball:Battingcages,infrontofdugouts,bullpens,indoorpracticeandhittingfacili-ties
Golf:Drivingranges,liningforsandtrapsforerosioncontrol,teelines,drivingmats,
Sports ields:grass ieldsidelines,runningtrackprotectivestrips,bandpractice ield,indoorgeneralusepracticeandplay ields
LandscapeandRecreation:Playareas,smalllandscapeareas,highwayerosioncontrol,dogruns,petparks,equestrianstables,airports
Oncethesyntheticturfhasbeenseparatedandprocesseditisuseableforrecycling.Syntheticturfisproducedfromseveralpolymers.EvenperfectlycleanturfcontainsamixofLLDPE(linearlowdensitypolyethylene),PP(polypropylene)andacoatingofeitherpolyurethane,hotmeltpolyole-in,orlatex.Linearlowdensitypolyethyleneisusedtoproducethemajorityofturf ibers,thelarg-estcomponentofturf.Nylonandpolypropylenearealsoused,buttoamuchsmallerdegree.Poly-propyleneistypicallyusedforthebackingmaterial,butbackingisasmallercomponentthanturfiber.Thesematerialscanbemelted togetherbutmay formapolymermixwithdistinctphases.Heterogeneouspolymeralloyscanpotentiallybeusedasrecyclecontent insomeprocesses,butwillhavemechanicalpropertiesthataredifferentandlikelyinferiortovirginorrecycledpolymersfromsinglecomponents.
Herearesomeofthewaysusedsyntheticturfcanberecycled:
ConversiontoEnergy
Energycanberecoveredfromsyntheticturfbyincineration,pyrolysisorgasi ication.
Thecalori icvalue(CV)ofpolyethyleneis40-45MJ/kg.
SyntheticLumber
Boards
Railroadties
Posts
MoldedParts
Injectionmoldedparts
Compressionmoldedproducts
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CrumbRubberIn ill
Pro ile
CrumbRubber isderived fromscrapautoandtrucktires thataregroundupandrecycled.Twotypesof tirecrumbrubber in illexist:ambientandcryogenic.Togetherthesemakeupthemostwidelyusedin illinthesyntheticsports ieldandlandscapemarket.
ReuseandRecycling,EnergyRecovery,andExtendedLifeCycle
Hereisalistofviablereuseandrecyclingoptionsforcrumbrubber,sand,orthecombination.Insomecases,theextractedin illmaybeusedAsIs(AI)withminimalcleaning.Inothercases,clean-ing and separating (CS) the sand and crumb rubber may be required. It may be necessary toscreen tirecrumbrubberpriortoreusetoremoveunwanted ineparticulates,e.g., iber,metal,verysmallrubberparticulate,orscreenforaparticularuse,suchasincorporationintoasphalt.
Field/landscapeApplications
Reuseasin illonnewsyntheticturfsports ieldorlandscapeinstallations(AI)(CS)
Natural turf soil amendments to improvewear tolerance and prolong playability ofnaturalturfsports ields(AI)(CS)
ADA-compliantplaygroundsurfacing(AI)(CS)
RoadandRailApplications
Acousticbarriers(CS)(AI)
Roadbase(CS)
Portabletraf iccontroldevices(CS)
Ripplestripsandspeedbumps(CS)
Railcrossings,sleepersandbuffers(CS)
Asphalt
Construction&Industrial
Industrial looring(CS)
Acousticbarriers(CS)(AI)
Sprayeduproo ing,insulationandAdhesivesealants(CS)
MountingpadsandshockAbsorbers(CS)
Air ieldrunways(CS)
Carpetunderlay(CS)
Children'splaygroundsurfacing(CS)(AI)(AIWP)
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Marine
Wharfbuffers(CS)(AI)
Floatingdocks(CS)(AI)
Nonslip looring(CS)(AI)
Sporting
Equestriansurfacesandworkoutareas(CS)(AI)
Landscaping
Wateringsystems,rubberhosing&lowpressureirrigationdriphoses(CS)
In illforSynthetic/Arti icialLandscapeTurf(CS)(AI)
NaturalTurfSoilAmendment(toimproveweartoleranceandprolongplayability)
AthleticFields(AI)(CS)
SchoolCampusAreas(AI)
SoilCompactedWalkwayorPathwayAreas(AI)
EnergyRecovery
Energycanberecoveredfromcrumbrubberin illbyincineration,pyrolysisorgasi i-cation.
Thecalori icvalue(CV)oftirerubberis27.5MJ/kg(14,000-16,000BTU).
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In illsOtherThanCrumbRubber
EPDMandTPE
EPDM(EthylenePropyleneDieneMonomer)andTPE(ThermoPlasticElastomer)arepolymericelastomerswithhigh resistance to abrasionandwearandwillnot changeunderhigh tempera-tures.Productsareavailable inavarietyofcolors,andhaveprovendurability inall typesofcli-mates.Excellentelasticitypropertiesandresistancetoatmosphericandchemicalagentsprovidestable,highperformancein illproducts.
BothEPDMandTPEin illsarereusableasin illandrecyclableintoin illorotherproducts.EnergycanalsoberecoveredfromTPEwherethecalori icvalue(CV)canbeupto25-30MJ/kg.
OrganicIn ill
Severalorganic in illmaterialsareavailable intheNorthAmericanmarket,allutilizingdifferentorganiccomponents,suchasnaturalcorkand/orground ibersfromtheoutsideshellofthecoco-nut.Theseproductscanbeutilizedinprofessionalsportsapplicationsaswellasforlandscaping.
Attheendofitslifecycle,organicin illcanberecycleddirectlyintotheenvironment.
PureSilicaSand
PureSilicaSandisoneoftheoriginalin illmaterialsutilizedinsyntheticturfsystems.Thisprod-uctisanaturalin ill thatisnon-toxic,chemicallystableandfractureresistant. Silicasandin illsaretypicallytan,off-tanorwhiteincolorand,dependinguponplantlocation,mayberoundorsub-roundinparticleshape.Silicasandcanbeusedinconjunctionwithmanyotherin illsonthemar-kettoprovideasafeandrealisticplayingsurface.Itcanbecoatedwithdifferentmaterialsusedasastandaloneproduct,orusedincombinationwithtraditionalcrumbrubberin illsystems.
PureSilicaSandcanbereusedas in illonnewsynthetic turf sports ieldsor landscape installa-tions.Itcanalsobeusedinnaturalturfsoilamendmentstoimproveweartoleranceandprolongplayability.
CoatedSilicaSand
CoatedSilicaSandconsistsofcoated,high-puritysilicasandwitheitherasoftorrigidcoatingspe-ci ically engineered for synthetic turf.These coatings areeitherelastomericor acrylic innatureand formabondwith the sandgrain sealing it toprovideexcellentperformanceanddurabilityoverthelifeofa ield.Coatedsandisavailableinvarioussizesandcolorstomeetdifferentneeds.
InNorthAmerica,thematerialcanbereturnedtoselectmanufacturerstobecleanedandrecoat-ed.Theproductcanalsobeusedastop-dressingonnaturalturf ields.
Selectproductscanberecycledintonewcoatedsandin ill.
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CoatedCrumbRubber
Ambientorcryogeniccrumbrubbercanbecoatedwithcolorants,sealers,oranti-microbialsub-stances,ifdesired,toprovidespeci icbene its.
Selectproductscanberecovered,sanitized,andrecoatedforreuseasin illforsyntheticturfsportssystems,andcanberecycledinforubberizedasphaltormoldedproducts.
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Underlayments,IncludingShockPads,E-Layers,IntegratedDrainageSystems,DrainageMatsandStripDrains
ShockPads
Shockattenuationpadsofferanaddedlevelofprotectionandconsistentplayabilitytotheplayingsurfaceandaredesignedtocontributetoasafeg-maxlevelthroughoutasyntheticturf ield’slife.Rolloutorpanelsystemsareavailableandcanbepermeableorimpermeable.Somecanreplaceallorportionsof thestonebaseandprovidebothshockattenuationanddrainage,whileothersareusedincombinationwithatraditionalstoneanddrainagebase. Padscanbeplaceddirectlyoverasphaltorcementstabilizedsurfaces.
Variousmaterials thatareused includePVC/NBR(polyvinylchloride/nitrilebutyl rubber) foam,polypropylenecomposite,polyurethaneandpost-consumertirerubber.
Someshockpadslastmorethanoneturflifecycle.Selectpadscanalsobereusedforotherusessuchasgolfmatsandfarmanimalmats.
Somepads aremade from recycledmaterials,while others aremade fromvirginmaterials andmayberecyclable.Certainmanufacturerswillacceptrecoveredproductforrecycling.Energyre-coverymayalsobeanoption.
ElasticLayersorE-Layers
Elasticlayers(E-layers)arepouredin-place(insitu).Theyarepermeableandaretypicallycom-prisedofrubbergranulatewithapolyurethanebinder.E-layerscanvaryinthicknessanddonothaveseams.
Materialsincludepost-consumertirerubberusedincombinationwithapolyurethanebinder.
AlthoughE-layersarenotabletoberecycledatthistime,theycanbereused,orrepairedandre-used.
IntegratedDrainageandShockPadUnderlayment
Drainagepadunderlaymentsaredesignedtoreplacethestonebaseandactasbothabasesupportanddrainagesystemforturf.Rolloutorpanelsystemsareutilized.
Materialsusedforthevariousproductofferingsincludeexpandedpolypropyleneorcross-linkedpolyethylene.
Drainagepadscanbeusedformultipleturflifecycles.
Theproductcanberecycledandincorporatedintoanewdrainagepadorotherproducts.Cross-linkedpolyethylenecanbeafuelsourceandhasacaloricvalueof45MJ/kg.
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DrainageMatsandStripDrains
Drainagematsandstripdrainsaredesignedtoactasbothabasesupportandasingle-sideddrain-agesystemforturf.
Materials used for the different products include polystyrene, polypropylene and TPO(thermoplasticole in).Polypropyleneproductscanbereusedandrecycled.
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ReuseandRecyclingSuccesses
STCmembercompaniesareworkinghardtodevelopreuseandrecyclingoptionsforsyntheticturfieldsthathavereachedtheendoftheirusefullife.Severalmembercompanieswillacceptrecov-eredsyntheticturf.Theyprovideassistancewithremovalandwillcleanandwarehouseturfthatissuitable for reuse. Assistancewith transportationmay also be available. Reuse options includearenafootball,teemats,sandtrapliners,landscapelinermaterial,golfproductsanddoormats.
Membercompaniesarealsodevelopingremovaltechnologiestomakeremovalandrecoverybothquickandeconomical. Separationof in ill from turf isparticularly important toprovide suitablematerialsforrecyclingprocesses.
Companies are developing processes to collect and separatematerials so that turf can be pro-cessedintopost-consumerrecyclecontentproducts.Turfreceivedinrollscanbeprocessedintoplastic pellets that are suitable for injection molding, rotational molding and pro ile extrusion.Productsproducedincludecarpetandturfbacking,resilient looringandin ill.
Wastetoenergyisanotherviableoption.Processeshavebeendevelopedtoutilizereclaimedturfasfueltoprovideenergyformanufacturingoperations.
For information about STCmember companies providing reclamation, reuse, and recycling ser-vices, please refer to the STC Online Buyers’ Guide & Member Directory on the STC website,www.syntheticturfcouncil.org.
LookingAhead
Theusesforreclaimedturfareasvastasthenewtechnologiesbeingdevelopedtoallowforhigherenduses thanever thoughtpossiblebefore. Themembersof theSyntheticTurfCouncilplan toleadinthisefforttodevelopbetterandmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyoptionsforthesecondlifeofsyntheticturfsurfaces.
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AbouttheSyntheticTurfCouncil
BasedinAtlanta,theSyntheticTurfCouncilwasfoundedin2003topromotetheindustryand toassistbuyersandenduserswith theselection,useandmaintenanceof syntheticturfsystemsinsports ield,golf,municipalparks,airports,landscapeandresidentialappli-cations. The organization is also a resource for current, credible, and independent re-search on the safety and environmental impact of synthetic turf. Membership includesbuilders,landscapearchitects,testinglabs,maintenanceproviders,manufacturers,suppli-ers, installation contractors, in illmaterial suppliers and other specialty service compa-nies.Formoreinformation,visittheSTC’sOnlineBuyers’GuideandMemberDirectoryatwww.syntheticturfcouncil.org.