" Recycling of Post-Consumer Tyres with Metal Cord by
Electric Pulse Methods" was presented by Dr. A Bedjukh
during the Ònew technology" forum at the recent European
Tyre Recycling Conference sponsored by the European Tyre Recycling
Association (ETRA), Brussels, Belgium.
The popular forum is designed
to allow developers of emerging technologies the opportunity
to present and solicit feedback on new technologies and products
being prepared for either demonstration projects or full commercialization,
according to forum leader Gilbert Johnson.
Research into the feasibility
of using powerful short electric pulses to separate the metal
and rubber components found in tires was conducted by Dr. Bedjukh
at the Taras Shevehenko University, Kyiv, Austria. The purpose
of the research was two fold: to reduce energy consumption in
the recycling process and to produce high quality metal-free
rubber. Metal and rubber separation studies were carried out
using two methods: the electric explosion method and the magnetic
shock method.
In the electric pulse method
powerful electric discharges were passed through the metal cord
inside the tire to separate the materials. Using this method
the researchers produced metal free rubber in particle dimensions
40 x 10 mm 2. Metal was separated from rubber in varying structural
stages from evaporated metal to bits of wire. The existence
of the different structural stages indicated a sharply heterogenous
heating process in the metal volume. "This enables us to
raise the efficiency of the metal and rubber separation by choosing
the rate of the metal heating," Dr. Bedjukh said.
According to the study, a commercial
installation for metal and rubber separation by electric explosion
can have 50-60 percent efficiency. Energy consumed using the
electric pulse method will come close to 0.0-2 BTU per 1 kg.
of tire weight, Dr. Bedjukh said.
When using the magnetic shock
method, the separation of rubber and metal was achieved in particle
dimensions 200 x 35mm 2. The action of the magnetic shock was
provided for one layer of metal cord. It was separated from
the surrounding layers of rubber completely, according to the
study. On average, the metal was heated to 300°k and the rubber
was heated to 20-20°k in the magnetic shock method.
Energy consumed by the magnetic
shock method was only 2-3 percent of the energy consumed by
the metal heating. In a commercial installation the energy consumed
in magnetic shock and in metal heating can be in a 50/50 ratio,
Dr. Bedjukh said.
