TYGRE PROJECT PRESENTED AT .jpg "Ecomondo site will open in a new window")
Rimini, November 4, 2010
Ecomondo is one of the most important international trade fairs on sustainable development, material and energy recovery in Europe. In 2009 alone, reports show that over 63,330 attendees visited 1,050 exhibitors. More than 11,000 participants attended 213 seminars on a variety of environmental and recycling topics, which brought together over 1,350 speakers and 443 journalists from national and foreign media.
On November 4th 2010, during the 14th annual ECOMONDO, a Round Table on Tyre Recycling was organised with a prestigious list of speakers. Dott. Edo Ronchi, former Minister of the Environment, and Dott. Giancarlo Longhi, former Director of CONAI, headed the list, with more representative speakers talking about the specifics of the sector. The main issues about tyre recycling were discussed.
At the moment, there is a wide debate in the sector due to the impact of the introduction of the producer responsibility in Europe. In some countries, this could establish bodies to manage the post consumer tyres, with a specific goal of a specified quantity to be recycled, and the engagement to valorise the output material obtained from recycling. This is the main condition to make the system efficient and allow in the future the reduction of the eco-tax paid by the consumer.
In this context the TyGRe project represents an important example to the auditors, as well as to the esteemed speakers of the round table. The project coordiantor, Dr. Galvagno, gave an extremely effective picture of TyGRe and of the progress already achieved, which became one of the main interesting topics of the meeting. As per the comments after the session, this project has impressed the participants for its original idea: the combination of two input materials, i.e., the rubber from tyres which provides the carbon, and a low cost silica source, as well the high value of the new material obtained: Silicon Carbide.
The round table was organised by ARGO (Italian National Association for Rubber Recycling – Italy), the Italian member of ETRA the European Tyre Recycling Association, who is also one of the partners of the project.
