Asphalt made of used tires

A German company utilizes used tires to produce high quality asphalt.

Evonik is implementing an alternative method for durable roads. The team of experts manipulates a chemical additive to produce rubber powder from used tires to make asphalt. The recycled material has proven to enhance the mixtures and to improve the road's durability. "Reusing recycled tires secures valuable resources. tires are not classified as waste, but are considered a valuable material, which may not, for example, be disposed of in landfills. This use eliminates the disposal question: Instead of incinerating the tires, they have another life stage in road traffic – not as part of an engine-powered vehicle, but in the form of an elastomer or rubber powder in the road surface," Thomas Engenhorst, sustainability strategy manager in the Resource Efficiency Segment of Evonik stated.

Road industry has become a demanding business. New, better roadways that can endure the rising traffic and meet the current standards are demanded. However, as the need for better quality constantly increases so does the cost of the raw materials. Therefore, contractors have to pursue an equilibrium between performance and cost of a project.

The addition of such methods in industry is vital as it provides a cost-effective approach that can extend the lifetime of roadways. "The positive properties are obvious since the material significantly reduces cracking, ruts and potholes in the road surface, which in turn extends road service life," rank Lindner, senior business manager for the additive said.