Rubberized Asphalt is Focus of Industry Event

Liberty Tire Recycling, a Pittsburgh-based provider of tire recycling services, and tire maker Bridgestone Americas, Nashville, Tenn., are hosting an invitation-only event in late February designed to highlight the benefits of rubberized asphalt.

“Recycle Nashville: 2013” will take place Feb. 27, 2013, at Bridgestone Americas’ headquarters in Nashville. According to a news release from the two organizations, it will “gather transportation and environmental professionals, civic leaders and policymakers to learn more about scrap tire management in Tennessee and rubberized asphalt materials and applications.”

Speakers will include employees of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Road Builders Association.
 
“Locally sourcing recycled tire rubber for asphalt projects is a win-win for Tennessee at both the state and municipal levels,” says Jeffrey Kendall, CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling. “Rubberized asphalt provides a sustainable outlet for scrap tires and contributes to improved infrastructure in the form of longer-lasting, less expensive roadways.”
 
Sessions at Recycle Nashville: 2013 will consist of presentations on topics including “Scrap Tire Management in Tennessee, Scrap Tire Processing and Uses, Tennessee Asphalt Industry Overview, Tennessee Experience with Rubber and Modified Asphalt,” and “Rubberized Asphalt Materials and Applications.” The sessions have been designed to provide an overview of the advantages of rubberized asphalt, from enhanced safety and reduced tire noise to better crack resistance and cost savings.
 
“More than 300 million tires come off the roads annually, and while they may no longer be of use on a vehicle, they are still a valuable resource,” says Tim Bent, environmental director for Bridgestone Americas. “Our company is working to ensure that for every new tire we sell in the U.S., one spent tire—a tire that has been removed from use—is sent to another valuable purpose. If we are to succeed in reaching that goal, we must create, promote and encourage the use of spent tires in secondary markets, and rubberized asphalt has enormous potential for utilizing a large number of those tires that are discarded each year for an incredibly important product.”
 
Added to traditional asphalt, crumb rubber made from scrap tires comprises 8 to 22 percent of the binder and increases tensile strength, the two companies say.

“We encourage state and municipal engineers and road maintenance supervisors to take rubberized asphalt specifications from this event and put them into practice in Tennessee to save money without sacrificing performance,” Kendall adds.