Magnum D'Or to Recycle 30 Million Old Tires into…New Tires
August 22nd, 2009 by Tina Casey
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Magnum D’Or Resources, Inc. has just announced that it is on the verge of buying one of the biggest tire dumps in the world located in Hudson, Colorado. More than 30 million tires are estimated to reside in the 120-acre parcel, and Magnum believes that nearby rail and and other transportation facilities make it ripe for the picking. The company plans to use its next-generation tire recycling facility in Canada to convert the “black gold” into high grade rubber nuggets that could be used in the manufacture of new tires. With an estimated 290 million scrap tires generated annually in the U.S. alone, it looks like Magnum D’Or has tapped into a virtually endless supply of sustainable feedstock for its operations.
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Tire Recycling in the U.S.
According to the most recent information from the EPA, almost 190 million intact scrap tires annually are burned as fuel or used in civil engineering projects in the U.S. Only 35 million are recycled into powder, crumb, or other forms to be used in new products, such as sidewalks, playground surfaces, and toys. Though some reinforcing tire components such as black carbon and silica may be replaced by more sustainable materials, up to now the use of recycled rubber crumb in the manufacture of new tires has been limited to a very small percentage (2%-3%, according to Magnum), due to performance concerns.
Magnum D’Or and Tire Recycling
Magnum D’Or has teamed with Sekhar Research Innovations (SRI) to introduce a next-generation recycling process that results in a more durable and reliable product, potentially enabling tire manufacturers to use a much higher percentage of recycled rubber content – possibly as high as 20%. The new fiber removal system at the company’s 98,000 sq. ft. Magog (Quebec) facility is capable of removing up to 97% of the contaminants in recycled tire nuggets, and a further improvement to 99% is in sight. Magnum D’Or initially plans to focus on the manufacture of tires for light trucks, which would provide a reliable indication of its application to tires designed for passenger vehicles and heavy trucks. If the process delivers on its promises, it could provide a market-based incentive at all levels of the supply and consumption chain to recover and recycle more scrap tires.
Image: mataparda on flickr.com.
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About the Author
Tina Casey Tina Casey specializes in military and corporate sustainability, advanced technology, emerging materials, biofuels, and water and wastewater issues. Tina’s articles are reposted frequently on Reuters, Scientific American, and many other sites. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on Twitter @TinaMCasey and Google+.
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