Published on Eco-Innovation (https://ec.europa.

eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects)

INNOVATIVE USED TYRES RECYCLING AND

RUBBER SINTERING PROCESS FOR ECOFRIENDLY URBAN EQUIPMENT FABRICATION
ECO-RUBBER
The 27 countries of the EU had to dispose of 3.4 million tonnes of tyres in 2007 alone, according to
the Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association. Only 38% of those were recycled while 32% were
used as fuel substituting one problem for another in the form of emissions. The main goal is to
implement an eco-friendly and profitable process to use recycled tyres as a raw material for
obtaining high quality urban furniture products. It is planned to industrialize and implant a new
sintering process using crumb recycled rubber as a raw material. Being necessary to optimize the
complete line: grinding (WP2), mixing (WP4) and sintering processes (WP5). During WP3 the urban
product will be defined and designed. To eliminate the emotional barriers to the use of urban
furniture made of recycled rubber, an eco-label will be implanted, showing the benefits of the use of
this kind of recycled material (WP6). According to the characteristics of elasticity of used tyres,
employing them to fabricate urban furniture will mean an improvement in the urban comfort and
safety. As a result, a new market for the crumb recycled rubber will emerge to use it as a raw
material for high-valued products.

Benefits
An adapted industrial recycling process to supply innovative recycled rubber urban furniture products
manufactured by an innovative sintering process.

Results

An adapted and improved grinding process: to obtain the targeted particle morphology and zero
contaminants, to improve the morphologies synergy blends to obtain recycled rubber with enhanced
properties.
An optimized sintering formulation which allows maximising the percentage of crumb recycled
rubber together with some mechanical properties of the final product.
An optimized sintering process including dosing chamber and pre-heated phases. Design and
selection of missing and dosing equipment has been performed. Furthermore, optimized sintering
process has been implemented at BERLA facilities.
An Ecolabel stamp for the developed products in order to eliminate user attitude barriers to the use
of urban furniture made of recycled rubber. A specific stamp to be placed into the bollards and
increase the visibility of its sustainability has been designed. In addition, a brochure explaining its
benefits has been produced based on an LCA study. Finally, a proposal for an EU-ecolabel group has
been sent.
An aid to the introduction of simulation programs into the design process of recycled products that

enables to predict and assess the final product performance. The methodology for simulating
recycled rubber products has been defined and validated with real impact tests.

Partners and coordinator

ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS - AIMPLAS [1]

Spain

BASES POLIMERICAS 2006, S.L [2]

Spain

INSTITUTO DE BIOMECANICA DE VALENCIA [3]

Spain

RECIPNEU. Empresa Nacional de Reciclagem de Pneus, LDA. [4]

Portugal

Contact
ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS - AIMPLAS
C Gustave Eiffel, 4 Parque Tecnologico
46980 Paterna Valencia
Spain

Contact point
Name: Liliana Chamudis-Veran

Budget
Overall budget: 1.022.304,00 (EU contribution: 52,00 %)

Key documents

Project Fact File [5]

PDF 35.95 KB

In brief
Sector: Recycling
Duration: 02/07/2009 to 01/01/2012
Contract number: ECO/08/239112
Website: http://www.eco-rubber.eu/
Tags:
recycling
rubber
tyres

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Source URL: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/eco-rubber

Links
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/partners/aimplas

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/partners/bases
[3] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/partners/ibv
[4] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/partners/recipneu
[5] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/sites/eco-innovationprojects/files/projects/documents/eco-rubber_project_fact_file.pdf
[6] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/eufir
[7] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/ecotrack
[8] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/ace
[9] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/agriport
[10] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/biolix
[11] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/bp-sorting
[12] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/recycled-fiber
[13] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/recycledpalletsystem
[14] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/cofert
[15] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/cyprobell
[16] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/e-aims
[17] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/slag-rec
[18] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/ecometre
[19] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/separate
[20] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/filmsort
[21] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/ecoimppact
[22] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/eco-protection
[23] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/frit-rec
[24] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/wpf
[25] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/olax
[26] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/numix
[27] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/ekopan
[28] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/parilas
[29] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/naturalista
[30] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/prowaste
[31] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/recytube
[32] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/rhoses
[33] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/saturn
[34] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/starec
[35] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/natstocer
[36] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/superpet
[37] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/supertex
[38] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/t4t
[39] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/diapers-project
[40] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/twincletoes
[41] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/rectyre
[42] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects/en/projects/ws-rec