Recycled Tyre Materials :Turf and Beyond

Dott. Ettore MusacchiETRA

ETRA European Tyre Recycling Association

• Founded in 1994 ETRA is an independent, member-driven organisation devoted exclusively to material recycling of tyres

• Its mission is to develop tyre recycling as an environmentally sound and commercially sustainable European industry

• Objectives are to develop and advance policies supporting the industry– To identify, develop and expand markets;– To devise and implement professional standards;– To prepare and promote guidelines for materials, products, applications;– To offer communication links with governments and industries

Membership is open to public and private sectors

Tyre recycling in the EU

• Each year in the 28 EU States and Norway, + 3,200,000 tonnes of post- consumer tyres are permanently removed from vehicles and defined as waste

• An additional 100,000 tonnes of OTR tyres are also discarded

• All of these tyres must be treated in a sustainable way

• Material recycling, energy recovery and retreading are the most prevalent treatments in the EU

• Together, they account for +90% of annual arisings

The growth of tyre recycling

62% 56%

49% 40% 39% 35%

23% 13% 10% 10% 9%

6% 8%

8%

11% 10% 10%

11%

6% 5% 6% 6%

13% 12%

12%

11% 11% 11%

12%

10% 10% 10% 9%

14% 18%

20%

20% 21% 23%

27%

37% 38% 38% 38%

5% 6% 11%

18% 19% 21% 27%

34% 37% 37% 38%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Landfill Reuse/export* Retreading Energy Recycling

Evolution of EU tyre recycling

Estimates are that during the past 20 years EU recyclers have treated more than 13,000,000 tonnes of tyres

• The outputs have become increasingly sophisticated and varied

• Recycled tyre outputs include an increasing range of materials, myriad consumer and industrial products, and a broad array of applications for more than 50 industries

• Key sectors that use vast quantities of RTMs include sports and leisure infrastructure as well as sport surfaces and fields;

• civil engineering and general construction; surface transport including roads, trams and rails among others

Characteristics of RTMs

• RTMs are soft, tough, flexible and elastic

• RTMs have excellent insulation characteristics - reducing the impacts of vibration and sound, and under certain circum-stances, current as well

• RTMs are moisture resistant as well porous, allowing water to drain freely

• RTMs retain the characteristics of a tyre on the road !

• Used on road surfaces, RTMs can reduce vehicle skid, glare and tyre spray

Characteristics (cont)• Anti-static

• Non-toxic

• Waterproof and anti-slip

• Resistant to Ultra violet rays

• Perform well even at climatic extremes (cold / heat)

• Highly resistant to both abrasion and impact

• Absorb and deflect pressure – reducing injury to the surface and to the falling object

Recycled tyre materials (RTMs)

+1,500,000 tonnes of tyres are processed into materials, per year

Principal market sectors

The use of the Rubber

- Rubberised Asphalt

Better Grip

• Measurement of the friction[CNR B.U. 105 / UNI EN 13036-04]

Prove eseguite su cantiere SR 495 loc. Adria (RO)

Parametro Norma di rif. Usura ordinaria Usura SBR‐NR

BPN CNR BU 105 58 70

Less Noise

Measurement done on Road SR 495 Adria (Italy)

Less VibrationsMesaurements on Road SR 515 Noale (Venice)

The use of the Rubber

- Rail products

ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE TECNICI ENTI LOCALI

Turin, Via Rossini

Installation of the sound-absorbingpanels

Turin, Via Rossini

Concrete casting with steel reinforcementand laydown of sleepers and rails

1) Crushed stone from quarry

2) Reinforced concrete

subfoundation

3) Layer of recycled rubber

4) Reinforced concrete foundation

5) Prestressed concrete sleepers

6) Second layer of reinforced concrete

7) Rubber profiles along the rails

8) Road paving made of

bituminous conglomerate

The floating mass system

ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE TECNICI ENTI LOCALI

Turin, Via Rossini

The final result of the two systems used

Floating mass system with slabs prefabricated1) Crushed stone from quarry

2) Reinforced concrete foundation

3) Elastomeric rubber mat

4) Prefabricated reinforced concrete slabs

5) Paving slabs prefab reinforced concrete

6) Stone pavement (basalt cubes)

7) Rubber profiles along the rails

The use of the Rubber

- Urban Furnitures

ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE TECNICI ENTI LOCALI

Turin,Via San Massimo The City tested the positioning ofrecycled rubber buffer as speedbollards and to safeguard the walkway.

Urban Equipment

CURBS

Bollards

The use of the Steel

- Concrete

Re-use as fibre reinforcement

Manufactured steel fibres are already used widely to reinforce concrete (approx. 500,000 tonnes per annum)

Applications (1)

Wet cast super-flat industrial ground slabs

34

ECOLANES project: Roller compacted concrete (RCC) pavements, industrial floors, car parks etc

Applications (2)

Pumped and sprayed concrete- tunnel linings- ground stabilisation, etc

Applications (3)

The use of the Textile

- Insulating Panels

The Panel

Example of application

Example of application

The use of the Rubber

- Artificial Turf

4 advantages

Comfort for players

SPORTCITY

Improve quality of urban areas

6000 mq

30.000 tyres recycled foreach field

ENVIRONMENTECONOMIC

Work and investments

What is an artificial turf?

with elastic layer underneath

Traditional

Synthetic turf : Polyethilene

Infill materials : rubber granulate

sand

Recycled SBR granulate is the best infillmaterial because:- absorb the shock- has a constant behaviour- is long lasting- can be recycled

ANALISI BIOMECCANICA

Biomecanic performances

Analyses of Environmental and Health Risks

DefinitionEnvironmental and health risks are the quantification ofthe toxicological damage that may be caused to the environment or to human health due to the presence ofa pollutant source whose release may reach, bydifferent ways, a potentially exposed receptor

Analyses of Environmental and Health Risks

Phases of the AnalysisSITE ASSESSMENT Physical-chemical characterisation of the envirionmental matrix and pollutantsMODEL Exposed subjects Means of exposure Ways of migration; Identification of index contaminants

CONCENTRATION AT THE POINT OF EXPOSURE Experimental measures

RISK CALCULATION Exposure evaluation Toxicological Model Toxic and Genomic calculation

WATER VAPOR AND DUST

Skin contact with rain water

CONCEPTUAL MODEL

Skin contact with infil material

INGESTION: Irrelevant. The middle gastric digestive system is notsufficiently effective to extract the toxic products;

DERMAL CONTACT: it is a low risk and would need a means to ensurethat the non-polar substances can penetrate the dermal layer;

INHALATION: Is there the possibility of dust from playing on the field itself ???

TARGET: VERIFY IF, HOW AND HOW MUCH an artificial turf may cause additional exposure tocarcinogens.

Birkholz et al, 2003; Anderson et al., 2006

Organisation of the research:

1. Measurement and comparison (in the actual environment) of the exposure:

a) Analysis of the particulate concentration PM10 and PM2.5;b) Analysis of the BTEX solvents (aromatic hydrocarbons: Benzene,

Toluene and Xylenes)c) Analysis of the PAH; (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)

2. Sampling done under different conditions.

3. Health risk analysis.

Risk to human health arising from playingon synthetic turf in the City of Turin

Concentrazione di PM10: campi e sito urbano.

01020304050607080

campoP

campoP terra

campoC

campoR

campoPB

campoB

12-giu-06 13-giu-06 14-giu-06 15-giu-06 21-giu-06 26-giu-06

µg/m

3

Results 1

limite normativo di 50 µg/m3 del D.Lgs 60/2002 per le 24 ore per il PM10

turfUrban site

turfUrban site

PM10

PM2,5Concentrazione di PM2,5: campi e siti urbani.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

campo P

campo P terra

campoC

campoR

campoPB

campoB

12-giu-06 13-giu-06 14-giu-06 15-giu-06 21-giu-06 26-giu-06

µg/m

3

Concentrazione BENZENE: campi e siti urbani

0,0

1,0

2,0

3,0

4,0

5,0

6,0

P

urba

no

traf

fico

P te

rra

urba

no

traf

fico C

urba

no

traf

fico R

urba

no

traf

fico

PB

urba

no

traf

fico B

urba

no

traf

fico

12-giu-06 13-giu-06 14-giu-06 15-giu-06 21-giu-06 26-giu-06

µg/m

3Results 2

limite normativo di 5 µg/m3 del D.Lgs 60/2002 per le 24 ore per il Benzene

TurfUrban siteTraffic area

BENZENE

Results and Observations

There are no substantial differences between the concentrations of dust presentin the soccer fields and in other urban sites: PM10 levels registered in the turfsare comparable or lower than the urban background levels and also the PM2.5levels are comparable to or lower than sites considered urban.

There are no substantial differences in concentrations of particulate matter,aromatic hydrocarbons and PAH related to length of the field, the type of field(black PFU or thermoplastic) or the manufacturer in the different sampling days.

The concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons, BENZENE, present in the soccerfields monitored: are consistent and are at levels below those of urban back-grounds and still reflect a normal situation related to urban pollution of traffic origin

The concentrations of PAHs, when present, are definitely natural (summer) low(values just above the detection limit). Among the 12 compounds tested, Benzo(a) pyrene is the only one regulated by law and is never present.

Conclusions

All the materials, products and applications described herein, and in particular those of artificial turf, have been in use for many years and have been repeatedly submitted to tests according to a broad range of EU and International norms.

There is no evidence that these products, for their specific use, may represent a risk for the environment or for human health.

ConclusionsYou may recall that about 10 years ago there was an

issue in Europe regarding the use of recycled SBR used as infill material and their potential risk to human health.

ETRA, as well as many other bodies, ran tests, analyses and studies that demonstrated that there was no risk to the environment or to human health.

10 years ago the issue was complicated, but a joint effort by the main actors helped to clarify the situation.

Today, it seems even more complicated. It is time to work again together to find a solution

Conclusions• During the last week ETRA actively attended the 2016 Green

Week and the European Business Summit.

• In Both events, Vice President of the Commission Jyrki Katainenand Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella, undrlined, among the pillars of the next years policy of the EU, and the main engagements of the Commission:

• 1. Implement the Circular Economy • 2. Revise the Framework Directive on Waste to increase

recycling;• 3. Increase the market for secondary raw materials• European citizens do not not uderstand how it

could be possible that the EU with one handsupports the use of recycled materials and withthe other hand is not able to set up a system ofregulations in line with its policy.

Thank you for your attention

Ettore Musacchiettore_musacchi@yahoo.itwww.etra-eu.org