VRA, Car Research Group Testing Tire Recycling Project

Recent tests in Europe duplicated the previous tests conducted by Cooper-Standard Automotive initiated by the Vehicle Recycling Partnership of USCAR. These independent tests reported at the European Tyre Recycling Conference confirmed the consistent production repeatability of the generic CBp Europe technology to recover and upgrade the carbon black and mineral fillers, including silica, from scrap tires and rubber into a competitive reinforcing black filler.

Carbon black is an important ingredient in nearly all rubber products to improve properties such as tensile, wear resistance and modulus. Scrap tires and rubber can contain 25-35 percent carbon black.

In earlier tests, competitive low-reinforcing fillers were also obtained by upgrading pyrolysed automotive shredder residue, often referred by industry as “ASR” of “fluff”. General Motors provided this raw pyrolysed ASR material for these tests in co-operation by the Vehicle Recycling Partnership, USCAR.

Tests by the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University, sponsored by the US Department of Transportation, show cost-benefit application potentials for improving rutting resistance by asphalt modification using the CbpCarbon products.

The CBp patented technology is a breakthrough for potentially allowing the rubber and automobile industries to meet these recycling objectives.