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CrumbRubberInformation
TireRecyclingEquipment

CrumbRubberOverview

Crumbrubberisthenamegiventoanymaterialderivedbyreducingscraptiresorotherrubberintouniformgranuleswiththeinherentreinforcingmaterials
suchassteelandfiberremovedalongwithanyothertypeofinertcontaminantssuchasdust,glass,orrock.

Crumbrubberismanufacturedfromtwoprimaryfeedstocks:tirebuffings,abyproductoftireretreadingandscraptirerubber.Scraptirerubbercomesfrom
threetypesoftires:passengercartires,whichrepresentabout84percentofunitsorapproximately65percentofthetotalweightofU.S.scraptirestrucktires,
whichconstitute15percentofunits,or20percentofthetotalweightofU.S.scraptiresandofftheroadtires,whichaccountfor1percentofunits,or15
percentofthetotalweightofU.S.scraptires.Endproductyieldsforeachofthesetiretypesareaffectedbythetiresconstruction,strengthandweight.On
average,10to12poundsofcrumbrubbercanbederivedfromonepassengertire.

Overall,atypicalscraptirecontains(byweight):

70percentrecoverablerubber
15percentsteel
3percentfiber
12percentextraneousmaterial(e.g.inertfillers)

CRUMBRUBBERMANUFACTURINGTECHNOLOGIES

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Generally,crumbrubberisproducedbyreducingscraptiresdowntosizesrangingfrom3/8to40meshparticlesandremoving99percentormoreofthesteel
andfabricfromthescraptires.Thereareseveralprocessesformanufacturingcrumbrubber.Twoofthemostcommonareambientgrindingandcryogenic
processing.AthirdtechnologythewetgrindprocessisalsoinuseintheU.S.toproducefinermeshcrumbrubberrangingfrom40meshto200mesh.
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AmbientProcess
Ambientgrindingcanbeaccomplishedintwoways:granulationorcrackermills.Inanambientsystem,therubber,tiresorotherfeedstockremainatroom
temperatureastheyenterthecrackermillorgranulator.

Ambientgrindingisconducivetoanysizeparticle,includingwholetires.Itcanbeaccomplishedintwoways:granulationorcrackermills.Inanambient
system,therubber,tiresorotherfeedstockremainatroomtemperatureastheyenterthecrackermillorgranulator.

Ambientgrindingisamultistepprocessingtechnologythatusesaseriesofmachines(usuallythree)toseparatetherubber,metal,andfabriccomponentsofthe
tire.Whetherusinggranulationequipmentorcrackermills,thefirstprocessingsteptypicallyreducestheoriginalfeedstocktosmallchips.Thesecondmachine
intheserieswillgrindthechipstoseparatetherubberfromthemetalandfabric.Thenafinishingmillwillgrindthematerialtotherequiredproduct
specification.Aftereachprocessingstep,thematerialisclassifiedbysiftingscreensthatreturnoversizepiecestothegranulatorormillforfurtherprocessing.
Magnetsareusedthroughouttheprocessingstagestoremovewireandothermetalcontaminants.Inthefinalstage,fabricisremovedbyairseparators.

Rubberparticlesproducedinthegranulationprocessgenerallyhaveacutsurfaceshapeandroughtexture,withsimilardimensionsonthecutedges.Usesfor
thecrumbrubberorgranulateproducedinthisprocessincludesafetyandcushioningsurfacesforplaygrounds,horsearenasandwalking/joggingpaths.

Crackermillsprimary,secondaryorfinishingmillsareallverysimilarandoperateonbasicallythesameprinciple:theyusetwolargerotatingrollerswith
serrationscutinoneorbothofthem.Therollconfigurationsarewhatmakethemdifferent.Theserollersoperatefacetofaceinclosetoleranceatdifferent
speeds.Productsizeiscontrolledbytheclearancebetweentherollers.Crackermillsarelowspeedmachinesoperatingatabout3050RPM.Therubberusually
passesthroughtwotothreemillstoachievevariousparticlesizereductionsandfurtherliberatethesteelandfibercomponents.

Thesemillsdonothavescreensbuiltintothemillandassuchthemillitselfdoesnotcontrolthefinalparticle.Astandalonescreeningsystemwillseparate
sizedparticlesfromoversizegranulesfollowingthemillandrecirculatetheoversizeproducts.Thecrumbrubberparticlesproducedbythecrackermillare
typicallylongandnarrowinshapeandhaveahighsurfacearea.

Crumborgroundrubberproducedinthisprocessisusedinthemanufactureofnumerousrubberproducts.Theseincludematsfordomestic,commercial,
recreational,industrialandagriculturaluserubberwheelsforcartsandlawnmowersinsulationproductslumberandotherconstructionproducts.

SeeTypicalAmbientGrindingProcessDiagram

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CryogenicProcess

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Cryogenicprocessingreferstotheuseofliquidnitrogenorothermaterials/methodstofreezetirechipsorrubberparticlespriortosizereduction.Mostrubber
becomesembrittledor"glasslike"attemperaturesbelow80C.Theuseofcryogenictemperaturescanbeappliedatanystageofsizereductionofscraptires.
Typically,thesizeofthefeedmaterialisanominal2inchchiporsmaller.Thematerialcanbecooledinatunnelstylechamber,immersedina"bath"ofliquid
nitrogen,orsprayedwithliquidnitrogentoreducethetemperatureoftherubberortirechip.Thecooledrubberisgroundinanimpacttypereductionunit,
usuallyahammermill.Thisprocessreducestherubbertoparticlesrangingfrom1/4inchminusto30mesh,withthemajorityoftheparticledistribution
between1/4inchminusand20mesh.Atypicalthroughputis4,000to6,000poundsperhour.Cryogenicgrindingavoidsheatdegradationoftherubberand
producesahighyieldofproductthatisfreeofalmostallfiberorsteel,whichisliberatedduringtheprocess.

Forscraptirederivedrubber,thesteelisseparatedoutoftheproductbytheuseofmagnets.Thefiberisremovedbyaspirationandscreening.Theresulting
materialappearsshiny,hasclean,fracturedsurfacesandlowsteelandfibercontent.Thefinalproducthasarangeofparticlesizes,whichcanbeusedasisor
furthersizereduced.Productionoffiner(40to60mesh)andveryfinecrumbrubber(60minusandsmallermesh)requiresasecondaryhighintensitygrinding
stage.

SeeTypicalCryogenicGrindingProcessDiagram

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FineGrindAmbientMethod
Micromilling,alsocalledwetgrinding,isaprocessingtechnologyusedtomanufacturecrumbrubberthatis40meshandfiner.

Thewetgrindprocessmixespartiallyrefinedcrumbrubberparticleswithwatercreatingaslurry.Thisslurryisthenconveyedthroughsizereductionand
classificationequipment.Whenthedesiredsizeisachieved,theslurryisconveyedtoequipmentforremovingthemajorityofthewaterandthendrying.Aside
fromtheuseofwater,thesamebasicprinciplesthatareusedinanambientprocessareutilizedinawetgrindingprocess.

Themajoradvantageforawetgrindprocessistheabilitytocreatefinemeshcrumbrubber.Whileproductsascoarseas40meshareproduced,themajorityof
theparticlesare60meshandfiner.Apercentageoftheoverallthroughputisfinerthan200mesh.Anotheradvantageforawetgrindprocessisthecleanliness
andconsistencyofthecrumbrubberproduced.Theprocessliterallywashesthecrumbrubberparticles.Thewetprocessremovesthefineparticlesoffiber
fromthecrumbrubbermakingaverycleanproduct.

Thewetprocessalsoproducesauniquemorphologyintheparticles.Thishasproveneffectiveinthemanufacturingofseveralgoodsusedinautomotive
applicationsandincertainmoldedgoods.
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CRUMBRUBBERMARKETS

Crumbrubberisusedinagrowingnumberofproductsandapplicationsinagrowingnumberofdiversemarkets.Thefollowinglistisintendedasareferenceto
thekindofmarketsandenduseapplicationsthatcanorcurrentlyusetirederivedcrumbrubber.Itisinnowaycomprehensive.

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Majormarketsforcrumbrubber:

Athleticsurfacesandfields
Agrimatsandequestrianfooting
Automotivepartsandtires
Construction/indoor
Landscape,trailsandwalkways
Moldedandextrudedproducts
Playgroundandothersafetysurfaces
Rubbermodifiedasphaltandsealants
Rubberandplasticblends

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CrumbRubberParticleSizeMeasurement
Differentcrumbrubbermarketsegmentshavedifferentcrumbrubbersizerequirements.Withinaspecificcrumbrubbermarket,eachapplicationhasitsown
requirementsintermsofparticlesizeandpurity.

AlthoughASTMInternational,formerlyknownastheAmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterials(ASTM),hasstandardsforspecifyingdifferentsizerangesof
crumbrubber,suchas30meshor80mesh,itisoftennecessaryforcrumbrubbermanufacturerstohaveamoredetailedknowledgeoftherangeofparticle
sizes,notjustthemaximumsize.Toaccomplishthis,somemethodofparticlesizedeterminationisnecessary.

Sieveanalysisisthemostcommontechniquefordeterminingparticlesizemeasurement.Itconsistsofshakingandtappingameasuredquantityofcrumbrubber
samplethroughaspecifiednumberoftestsievesoveraspecifiedtime.Theamountofsampleretainedoneachscreenisweighedandresultsaregivenasthe
percentageofsampleretainedoneachscreen.TherecommendedprocedureforsieveanalysisusingtheRotapmethodisprovidedinASTM5644.
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Inch,Millimeter,Mesh

Inadditiontosieveanalysis,crumbrubbermanufacturersneedtounderstandtherelationshipbetweentheinch,millimeterandmeshunitsofmeasure.Thereare
somereadilyavailabletoolscommonlyusedinthecrumbrubberprocessingindustrytohelpcrumbmanufacturers.Onesuchtoolisthe"inchtommtomesh"
chart.Asamplelistingfromthechartshowssievedesignationsfortestsieveopeningsexpressedininches,millimetersandmesh.Intheexampleshown
particlesthataresmallerthan.111inchor2.80mmindiameter,willfallthrougha7meshscreen.ProcessorsalsouseASTMspecificationE11"Standard
SpecificationforWireClothandSievesforTestingPurposes"toconductsieveanalysisofcrumbrubber.Anotherveryusefulchartisthedimechart.This
comparesamagnifieddimetodifferentparticlesizes.

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SeeDimeChartDiagram

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QualityisKey
ThereisnoU.S.standardforprocessingcrumbrubber.Nearlyeverycrumbrubbermanufacturerhastheirownuniqueprocessingsystemthattheyhavetweaked
andmodifiedtomeetcustomers'specificationsorendproductrequirements.Asaresult,crumbrubberqualityvariesfromoperationtooperation.

Despitethisvariabilityseveralkeyrequirementsforcrumbrubberhaveemergedandarebecomingtheindustryrecognizedproductcharacteristicsthat
determinequality.Ingeneral,highqualitycrumbmeanslowfibercontent(lessthan0.5percentoftotalweight),lowmetalcontent(lessthan0.1percent)and
highconsistency.Theacceptedlevelofmaximummoisturecontentisabout1percentbyweight.Excessmoisturecontentlimitscrumbrubberuseinmany
applications,especiallymoldedandextrudedproducts.Excessheatduringprocessingcanalsodegradetherubber.

Inaddition,processorshaveadoptedacleanstandardforcrumbrubber.Atminimumproducinghigherquality,cleanercrumbrubberinvolvesprequalifying
feedstockandintroducingandreintroducingcrumbrubbertomultipletypesofequipmentincludingmagnets,densityseparators,andreciprocatingscreensto
removecontaminantsandsortthecrumbrubbertotherequiredsizesfordifferentmarkets.
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CrumbRubberStandards

ASTMInternational,formerlytheAmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterials(ASTM)producesthelargestvoluntarystandardsdevelopmentsystemsinthe
world.Thisnotforprofitorganizationpublishesthousandsofstandardsperyearusedaroundtheworldtoimproveproductquality,enhancesafety,facilitate
marketaccessandtrade,andbuildconsumerconfidence.Workinginanopenandtransparentprocess,ASTMproducer,userandconsumermembersparticipate
indevelopingindustrystandards,testmethods,specifications,guidesandpracticesthatsupportindustriesandgovernmentsworldwide.

ThereareseveralASTMstandardsthatapplytocrumbrubber:

ASTMD5603StandardClassificationforRubberCompoundingMaterialsRecycledVulcanizateParticulate,classifiesvulcanizedparticulaterubber
accordingtomaximumparticlesize,sizedistributionandparentmaterialsincludingwholetires,tirepeels,buffingsgeneratedfromthetiretreadandshoulder,
buffingsgeneratedfromtiretread,shoulderandsidewallandnontirerubber.

ASTMD5644TestMethodsforRubberCompoundingMaterialsDeterminationofParticleSizeDistributionofRecycledVulcanizateParticulate
Rubber,discussesmethodsofdeterminingparticlesizeandparticlesizedistributionforcrumbrubber.Thestandardreferstotheuseofamechanicalsieve
shakerfordeterminingparticlesizeandparticlesizedistributionforcrumbrubberandgivesexperimentaldetailsofrunningthetest.Particlesizeandparticle
sizedistributionofrecycledrubberdependsontheenduseofthematerialandmayaffectitshandling,processing,andproperties.Therefore,methodsfor
analyzingparticlesizeandparticlesizedistributionareimportanttoolsfortherubberrecyclingindustry.
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CRUMBRUBBERGLOSSARYOFTERMS

ClassifierScreen

Thescreensorsievesthataremountedinaproductionpieceofequipmenttoseparatethedesiredsizeofcrumbfromtheothersizes,andrecycletheotherfor
thepurposeoffurthersizereduction.

CrackerMill

Amachinethattearsapartscraptirerubberbypassingthematerialbetweenrotatingserratedsteeldrums,reducingtherubbertovarioussizes.

Cryogenics

Atechnologyforprocessingmaterialsatverylowtemperatures,(typically80to120C).Inprocessingrubber,liquidnitrogenorcommercialrefrigeration
methodsarecommonlyusedtoembrittlerubber.Theembrittledrubberisthenprocessedinahammermillorgranulatortoadesiredproductsize.

Granulator
Amachinethatshearsapartscraptirerubber,cuttingtherubberwithrevolvingsteelplatesthatpassatclosetolerance,reducingtherubbertosmallersizes.

HammerMill

Amachinethatimpactsmaterialsagainstheavymetalhammerslooselypinnedtoashaft,whichrotatesatahighvelocitytoreducescraptirerubberparticle
size.

Inch
1/36thofayard,25.4millimeters

Mesh

Theopeningbetweenthewiresofascreentermcommonlyusedtodescribeormeasurethesizeofcrumbrubber.Crumbrubberissizedbythescreenormesh
throughwhichitpassesintheproductionprocess.Thefinerthescreen/meshthemoreopeningsitwillhaveperlinearinch,i.e.30meshmeansthereare30
holesoropeningsperlinearinch.Thegreaternumberofopenings,thesmallerthematerialmustbetopassthroughthescreen.Aminus""symbolrefersto

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materialthathaspassedthroughthescreen,i.e.30.Technicallycrumbrubbersizesareexpressedintwonumbers.Thesecondnumberisprecededbyaplus(+)
symbolandindicatesthesizeparticlethathasbeenretainedonthescreen.

SeeMeshScreenSizesDiagram

MicroMill
Amachinethatfurtherreducescrumbrubbertoaveryfineparticle,atambienttemperatures,usingrotatingabrasivediscsorotherabrasives.

Millimeter

1/1000thofameter,.0394inch

Screen
Alargesieveofsuitablymountedwirecloth,gratebars,orperforatedsheetironusedtoseparatematerialsbysize.

Sieving

Aprocessforclassifyingrubberparticles.Gradationsareusuallyexpressedintermsoftotalpercentpassingorretained.Thepercentpassingindicatesthetotal
percentofrubberthatwillpasseachgivensievesize.Thetotalpercentretainedistheoppositeofpercentpassingorthetotalpercentpassingeachgivensieve.

SeeSievingDiagram

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CrumbMeshSizeRangeinEachMarketCategory

Market MeshSizes
MoldedandExtrudedProducts 4100mesh
AsphaltModification 1640mesh
SportSurfacing 1/4"40mesh
AutomotiveProducts 1040mesh
Tires 80100mesh
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RubberandPlasticBlends 1040mesh
Construction 1040mesh

SeeReferencedDocuments

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CrumbRubber:Topics

CrumbRubberOverview
ManufacturingTechnologies
CrumbRubberMarkets
CrumbRubberMeasurements
CrumbRubberStandards
CrumbRubberTerms

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2016RecyclingResearchInstitute.AllRightsReserved

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