Waste Tire Reuse Material Flow Analysis in Taiwan
Yi-Shin Wang
Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University
The waste tire recycle and reuse issues are important. Because of the density of
the vehicles in Taiwan is higher than other countries, the issues are also more
important in Taiwan. According to statistics, there are more than 10 million tons
waste tires each year in Taiwan. Therefore, the disposal of waste tires has become an
environmental problem. However, waste tire’s material reuse policy still needs more
discussion in depth when we consider the environmental sustainability. Therefore, it
is important to build the waste tire reuse process structure and investigate the
material flow data. Besides to reuse the waste tire by prototype, after cracking the
waste tires to sheet rubber or powder rubber, the sheet rubber or powder rubber
would continue to enter to one of five reuse ways. The four reuse ways are to be
fuel, pyrolysis, reclaimed rubber product and asphalt rubber. Auxiliary fuel and
pyrolysis are two reuse ways could transform the material into energy. Reclaimed
rubber product process could transform the powder rubber to new product. These
processes showed in this study. The current results showed in the different scrap tire
treatment techniques already would make different impact in environment. This
study would continue to finish the result, connect the policy to enhance the waste
tire’s material reuse development and try to provide practical strategies from the
administration and even the market consumption part. After completing this study,
the result can provide the concept of waste tire recycling and reuse material flow
structure and give the suggestion of waste policy.