Reinventing The Wheel: How tires are impacting the construction industry

by Elaina Adams | December 1, 2012 2:54 pm

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By Andrew Horsman
Tires are found on most construction sites—they are seen on the machinery and equipment used to bring building projects to life. What is not as well-known, however, is recycled tires can be incorporated into many aspects of the construction industry, benefiting the environment and the economy. Even architects and specifiers versed in sustainability may be unfamiliar with the role tires can have on building projects.

The tire industry has made it a priority to invest in the total lifecycle of products. Much of this work is about ensuring tires are properly recycled at the end of their life, so the materials can be reused to create a range of products, including:

• playground surfacing;
• athletic flooring;
• roof shingles;
• carpet cushioning and floor underlay;
• rubber bricks used for walkways;
• materials to replace concrete and fill driveways; and
• rubber landscape stones and mulch for gardens.

Since many conventional products can be made increasingly durable by using rubber, it is often a pragmatic and easy solution to use recycled-tire rubber.

Finding a new use
When a tire is at the end of its service on a vehicle, it may still have a great deal of mileage left in terms of its overall lifecycle. Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS), an industry-funded organization under the Ontario Waste Diversion Act, was founded in 2009, and operates the Used Tires Program in the province. (There are also other tire recycling programs across the country.) OTS’ goal is to recycle every tire in the province of Ontario so none of these products are wasted by being dumped into landfills or illegally burned.

Considering the amount of tire-adorned equipment existing in construction, and the volume of tires building projects go through, the construction industry is a powerful and important source for tire recycling. To put this into perspective, an Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries[2] (ISRI) report, “The Voice of the Recycling Industry,” suggests recycling four passenger tires saves the equivalent amount of energy as 68 L (18 gal) of gas.

Additionally, based on data collected through tire recycling operations in North America, more than 90 per cent of a tire is reusable and recyclable, composed of non-biodegradable materials such as synthetic and natural rubber, oil, polyester, and steel.

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Improving projects with new products 
When tires are recycled, they are often broken down into crumb rubber, which is a key material for manufacturers to create new products. Before the process begins, the tires are dropped off at various collection sites and then picked up by registered haulers.

Once the tires arrive at the processor they are sorted by size and cleaned. When ready for recycling, the tires are put into shredding machinery and cut into smaller and smaller pieces. During this process, they are also sorted several times to ensure any fibres and metals are separated from the rubber itself. After the pieces of rubber are approximately 6.35 mm (1/4 in.) thick, they are packaged as crumb rubber. This material is then shipped to recycled-product manufacturers.

From roofing to flooring, builders can incorporate these products literally from top-to-bottom in projects. Products made from recycled tires can make flooring for outdoor projects—such as walkways, patios, and athletic floors—that have greater capacity to absorb noise and shock, and do not leach toxins. They are also suitable for the outdoor spaces in condo developments or office buildings.

For municipal and recreational projects, manufacturers are involved in tire collection, processing, and manufacturing. These companies produce products including driveways, running tracks, parking curbs, and tennis courts, all made from recycled tires.

Products made from recycled tire rubber also make athletic floors. Many of these products are easily installed and incorporate interlocking mats. Recently, a manufacturer worked with the Earth Rangers Centre for Sustainable Technology in Vaughan, Ont. (For more information about Earth Rangers Centre for Sustainable Technology, see the article, “Building Heavy with the Earth Rangers,” by Andy Schonberger, P.Eng., MBA, LEED AP, and Scott Tarof, PhD, in the April 2012 issue of Construction Canada. To read, visit www.constructioncanada.net[4] and select “Archives.”) When Earth Rangers was building a gym facility for its employees, they used the athletic flooring from recycled tires for its safety features and durability—the product is also slip-resistant when wet or dry. It provides a great base for employees to work out on, and fits well in such an environmentally focused organization.

Indoor applications
On top of adding green products to exterior building, landscaping, and construction projects, builders can also use tire-derived products indoors. Apart from the athletic flooring mentioned, a flooring underlay can also be employed as an impact sound insulator. Since sound insulation is important for television programming, the product was recently used in Toronto’s Corus Entertainment Centre under various floor coverings in the company’s multi-storey building.

An underlay reduces sound transmission and is particularly useful in multi-level buildings requiring sound insulation between floors. There are often minimum Impact Insulation Class (IIC) and Sound Transmission Class (STC) requirements that a building must meet. The IIC measures the impact sound that travels between floors, and the STC measures airborne sound that is transferred through floors and ceilings by noises. The product used in the Corus building provides sound-proofing for daily filming.

The recycled-rubber products designed for indoor application, such as the flooring underlay at the Corus building, are formulated and tested to confirm they meet Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) indoor air quality (IAQ) guidelines.

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Meeting new standards 
Standards are important in the construction industry on many levels, and tire-derived products are breaking new ground in this area.

For example, North American playground standards require playground surfaces to pass a minimum level of safety performance, not exceeding 1000 Head Injury Criteria (HIC). The HIC is determined by dropping an object onto the surface being tested and then calculating the severity of impact force and associated risks to the user, such as brain injury. There are recycled-tire products available that provide an HIC rating below 570, which is the threshold considered safe for children in an automobile crash. Since playground surfaces harden over time, this extremely safe rating ensures the surface remains compliant to the standard for the long-term.

This product was recently brought to life at Pathways Centre for Children in Sarnia, Ont. As a community agency serving children and youth with physical, developmental, and communication needs in the Lambton County area, Pathways needed a product that would cater to all its visitors, including children with a range of mobility levels. Since outdoor play is such an important part of any child’s development, the centre installed a playground inclusive of those with mobility issues. The product created a smooth, wheelchair-accessible, soft floor on which children play.

This particular product uses a hollow-core impact pedestal design. This design is constructed so the tile surface is a smooth square, and the underside is engineered with a series of shock absorbers that resemble hollow tubes. The design reduces the impact associated with falls that inevitably occur when children are playing.

LEED feeling the impact of tire-derived products 
Tire-derived products used in buildings are not recycled in the same manner as scrap tires, as these products should be returned to the manufacturer for recycling. However, using products made from recycled rubber in building developments and tires used
on construction equipment, projects can attain points toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Additionally, these products tend to be more cost-effective than conventional alternatives.

Tire-derived products can contribute to LEED credits for regional materials, waste diversion, and recycled content, and can meet low-emitting materials for indoor air quality requirements. If pursuing stormwater credits, products made from recycled tires can be chosen for low-impact development (LID) designs targetting improved stormwater quality and quantity management. Tire-derived products for permeable pavements, vegetated roofs, and rain-gardens resist rot and mould and will not leach into soil or groundwater. Whether they are incorporated into green roof features or chosen in colours with higher solar reflectance (SRI), durable and low-maintenance tire-derived roofing and outdoor surface products can support reduced urban heat island effect credits.

The market is recognizing the importance of this certification with green buildings having a growing appeal for public, corporate, and individual buyers. Tire-derived building products can contribute to successful LEED projects and keep scrap tires out of landfills.

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Checking the Tires
Taking good care of a car includes being good to the tires. Keeping an eye on tire alignment, pressure, and rotation can add years to the tires and the vehicles themselves. This also applies to construction machinery.

Poor tire alignment causes tires to wear unevenly, potentially causing the driver to experience handling problems such as pulling or vibration on the vehicle. It also has an impact on fuel consumption since proper alignment will reduce resistance while the vehicle is in motion, in turn decreasing fuel usage.

Another poor maintenance practice that can increase rolling resistance is unbalanced tire pressure. This can put drivers at risk of a flat tire or a blowout. Even if a tire does not appear to be low on air, it can still have a negative impact on the overall handling of the vehicle, causing excessive tread wear. It is important to keep an eye on the tire tread on construction sites, where a worn tread could lead to unsafe slips, putting workers at risk of injury.

The first way to ensure tire disposal is being taken care of is to extend the life of those tires. Tire maintenance is an important part of this. Using tires to their full potential also means properly disposing of them once they are no longer functional as tires. Although the maintenance does not affect a tire’s ability to be recycled, extending the life of a tire keeps it out of the waste stream for a longer period.

Conclusion
Traditionally, tires have been disposed of improperly. They are thrown into landfills, burned (sometimes illegally), and poorly handled. The recycling tires program[7] at OTS aims to responsibly manage the disposal of tires and increase their use in building projects for more sustainable results.

The trend toward sustainability in construction spans far beyond tires. For OTS and similar organizations, this provides a springboard to educate the industry about responsible tire maintenance and recycling, and highlight the available products made from recycled tires.

At the end of the day, paying attention to tire maintenance and using products made from recycled tires can save companies money, contribute to LEED certification, and demonstrate companies are environmentally responsible.

Andrew Horsman is the executive director of Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) and leads the organization in delivering the diversion and market-development activities. He has a long history working with stewardship issues in North America and previously held the title of regulatory compliance manager at Wal-Mart Canada and vice-president of corporate responsibility at Delphi Group. Horsman can be contacted via e-mail at info@ontariots.ca. 

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/reinventing-the-wheel-how-tires-are-impacting-the-construction-industry/

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