The TyGRe Project

Starting from waste tyres, the process developed was able to produce silicon carbide and useful information were collected for the planning of prototype scale plant TyGRe, now under construction.

After the preliminary bench scale set-up, the experimental work of TyGRe focused the attention on the process parameters optimization.

Several batches of SiC powder (Figure 1) have been produced at IMEC and ENEA premises, with the aim to test different process conditions. 

 

The powders were successfully sintered in simple shape manufacts (Figure 2), testing different sintering methods at COMETAS, ENEA and IMEC.

Results collected on bench scale will be useful to address the next step: the experimental tests on the prototype plant.

 

The 18th annual ETRA Conference was held on March 23-25th 2011 in the Crowne Plaza Europa hotel in Brussels and entitled “From sourcing to market: whose responsibility?”.

This major event from the recently Brussels-based ETRA association, representing more than 250 tyre recycling professionals, is an important dissemination event for the tyre and rubber recycling industry. The Conference attendance of more than a hundred participants from worldwide countries allowed the participants to meet with operators, industrials in the tyre recycling industry, delegates involved in research projects but also with European officials regarding funding and development opportunities and perspectives partners and clients. 

Panel 6 of the Conference was dedicated to “Materials, products and applications” and the TyGRe project was presented to the audience by Dr. M. Carulli from ENEA. Discussion followed by speakers and attendances concerning the scope of the project and the expected improvements for the market. The audience, mainly delegates from tyre recycling market, showed high interest for the arguments presented. The Conference has been reported in the magazine Tyre and Rubber Recycling where a large section was dedicated to the different panels, including the Pyrolysis Forum where the TyGRe project was evocated.

 

Some methodological aspects concerning the definition of social indicators for Sustainability Assessment in TyGRe (WP7) have been presented by Dr. Alessandra Zamagni ENEA at the SETAC Europe 17th LCA Case Study Symposium, Sustainable Life Styles, Budapest (Hungary), 28 February-1 March 2011. The presentation raised a great interest in the LCA scientific community.

TyGRe results have been also presented by A. Sarioglan from TUBITAK at the “Contemporary Approaches to Rubber goods and Tires Disposal” Conference held in Moscow , June 1-2, 2011; the talk was enclosed in the session “Modern technologies and scientific researches in the field of waste rubber goods and tires recycling, secondary use and neutralization”. Special attention was focused on the search for best available technologies taking into account ecological, economic, technological and social aspects. This Conference was supported by the Ministry of Natural Recourses and Environment of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Among the speakers were representatives of the State Duma, Government of the Russian Federation, State Corporation “ Avtodor”, representatives of environmental organizations, scientists, engineers and technologists working in the field of environmental protection and innovations in the road construction. The TyGRe project was presented by showing the expected environmental and economic advantages of the process generating SiC material. A comparison of the chosen utilization route and the SiC market place in the world were discussed.