Hundreds of millions of hazardous scrap tires are found in piles on the U.S. - Mexico border and in various other regions. These piles pose a public health concern, as they are breeding grounds and havens for mosquitoes that spread disease. Scrap tires are also a significant environmental problem because of fire hazards, water contamination, and the leaching of small amounts of zinc, sulfur, and other materials found in tire rubber. So how can we solve this problem by safely recycling and repurposing scrap tires into useful products? What are the many possible uses of scrap tires? This course curated by Dr. Rossow describes how scrap tires can be converted from a health and environmental problem into viable resources. 3 main areas of applications are identified:

1. Ground rubber (athletic surface material, molded and extruded products, rubber-modified asphalt, etc.)
2. Energy use (heating for cement kilns, the paper industry, power generation, etc.)
3. Tire-derived aggregates or “TDA” (drainage aggregate, lightweight fill, landfill gas collection, landslide stabilization, etc.).

  This online, PDH-accredited course also discusses the transportation of tires and processing economics, and presents many case studies from established recycling programs throughout the course. The course material is based on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document, “Scrap Tires: Handbook on Recycling Applications and Management for the U.S. and Mexico,” EPA530-R-1-010, December, 2010.

Learning Objectives

At the successful conclusion of this course, you’ll be able to identify and discuss:

• Scrap tire management programs
• Ground rubber
• Major U.S. ground rubber markets
• Athletic and recreational surfaces market
• Molded and extruded products
• Rubber-modified asphalt
• Kilns, pulp and paper industry heating
• Energy production
• TDA as drainage aggregate
• TDA as lightweight fill
• Whole tires for wall construction
• Transportation and processing economics
• Collection and transportation
• Processing
• Economic sensitivity