RECYCLING AND PROCESSING TIRES THROUGH A STEEL CHAMBER IN WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, AND EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

IPS has been working on a process to make better usage of tires, than ground rubber, or as a direct burnable fuel source. IPS started R&D on tire feed stock in 2012, using a form of my patented gasification process.

First: what is in a tire that makes it a good fuel source.

1. Natural Rubber

Nineteen percent of a tire consists of natural rubber in passenger and light truck tires, while truck tires have a thirty four percent natural rubber composition.

2. Synthetic Rubber

Synthetic rubber used in tires is produced from polymers of crude oil. In tire manufacturing, there are two types of synthetic rubber polymers used- styrene-butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber.

Used in combination with natural rubber, these materials make up 24% of the entire tire in passenger and light truck tires and 11% in truck tires.

3. Fillers (Carbon Black & Silica)

Originally, tires used to be grey, white before manufacturers switched to black. While there is still whitewall tires, tire manufacturers started making black tires by adding carbon black.



Carbon black is a soft, fine powder produced when natural gas or crude oil is burned using a limited amount of oxygen, creating a large amount of soot.

Together with silica, these two fillers are critical in the tire-making process because they reinforce the rubber. Due to their properties, they improve tensile strength, tear, and abrasion.