SMART · Sustainable Moulding of Articles from Recycled Tyres

End of Life Tyres represent both a waste problem and a resource opportunity, for both the society and the large recycling trade community. Even though tyres are 100 % recyclable and their chemical and physical properties make them an outstandingly valuable resource, still energy recovery and land filling constitute the greatest share of destination. The tyre recycling sector is constituted by large communities of SMEs which is in a compelling need of exploiting ELT resource and seeking for an innovative and decisive solution to increase the competitiveness of tyres recycling when compared to energy recovery. SMART participant SME-AGs strongly believe that the starting point, upon which it is necessary to build the future of tyre recycling is unquestionably to focus on totally eliminating the pricy resins usually integrated in the moulding process and serving as rubber fragmented parts binders, and to achieve recyclable products with mechanical properties comparable to primary rubber products, at least for what concerns the performance to compression. Strategic value statement of SMART project is to increase the competitiveness of tyres rubber recycling and enlarge the target application products in new industrial sectors, making it more economically, energetically and environmentally convenient with respect to energy recovery, while providing a viable and clean solution to completely substitute and recovery land filling. Hence, SMART technological objectives are to realise innovative recycled rubber products in high added value sectors (sport, transport and industry) with specifically produced machine, by means of exhausted tyres’ grinding without the addition of any linking agent or virgin rubber. The product will be fully further recyclable, being no additive in it. A prudential estimate of the savings coming from the cost reduction itself, without any increase of the output, can be estimated in 20 Million € per year.