New tires could soon be efficiently made from their scrapped brethren thanks to an engineering process developed by Lehigh Technologies.
Lehigh’s system grinds old tires into an ultra-fine rubber powder called PolyDyne that then becomes raw material. This would offset a significant percentage of the energy needed for the manufacture of tires and other synthetic rubber and petro-chemical-based products, said Dennis Gormley, Lehigh’s CEO.
“While vehicle operators feel the pinch at the fuel pump, less attention has been paid to the cost of oil’s impact in other areas,” he said. “It takes about nine and a half gallons of petroleum to make the various petro-chemicals that comprise just one tire. And petro-chemicals are used in many other rubber and plastic products ranging from car parts to plastic garbage cans to high-tech spray coatings to the soles of your shoes.”
Gormley stated that not only could using PolyDyne save manufacturers money, it can improve product performance. The company said it could increase tensile strength and durability in the development of consumer goods by plastics manufacturers. The formation of PolyDyne could also significantly reduce the large amount of old tires that lie in landfills across the U.S., added Anthony Cialone, Lehigh’s COO.
