Liberty-Bridgestone Event Highlights Benefits of Rubberized Asphalt

The tire recycling firm Liberty Tire Recycling, headquartered in Pittsburgh, and Bridgestone Americas, the U.S. subsidiary of the tire manufacturer Bridgestone Corp., will highlight the benefits of rubberized asphalt at Recycle AKRON: 2013, an Aug. 22 event hosted by both companies.

The goal of the event, to be held at the Bridgestone/Firestone facility in Akron, will gather transportation and environmental professionals, civic leaders and policymakers to learn more about scrap tire management in Ohio and rubberized asphalt materials and applications. Speakers scheduled for the one-day event will include experts from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Bridgestone/Firestone, Flexible Pavements of Ohio, Seneca Petroleum and Liberty Tire Recycling.

“States that locally source recycled tire rubber for asphalt projects experience a win-win in terms of waste disposal and longer-lasting, less expensive roadways,” says Jeffrey Kendall, CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling. “Rubberized asphalt has come a long way to provide not only a sustainable outlet for scrap tires but to contribute to improved highway infrastructure.”

The sessions at Recycle AKRON: 2013 will consist of presentations on topics including “Tire Processing in Ohio,” “Ohio Asphalt Industry Overview on Use of Modified Binders,” “PG Binders for Use in Ohio,” “Tennessee Experience with Rubber and Modified Asphalt” and “Rubberized Asphalt Materials and Applications.” The sessions will provide an overview of the advantages of rubberized asphalt, from enhanced safety and reduced tire noise to better crack resistance and cost savings.    

“Bridgestone/Firestone works to ensure that for every new tire we sell in the U.S., another tire that has been removed from use is sent to a valuable purpose,” says Tim Bent, environmental director for Bridgestone Americas.

“Rubberized asphalt has enormous potential for utilizing a large number of the tires discarded each year for an incredibly important product – lower-cost, safer, sustainable roads.”

Liberty Tire Recycling notes that added to traditional asphalt, crumb rubber comprises 8 to 22 percent of the binder and increases tensile strength.

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