Evonik Industries AG is highlighting the role of a rubber process additive in turning scrap tires into road construction materials during the K show in Düsseldorf, Germany, in October.
The company’s Vestenamer-branded additive makes it feasible to process rubber powder from scrap tires for incorporation into asphalt, according to Evonik.
The recycled material is mixed into road construction asphalt to improve the quality of the mixtures and to extend the service life of road surfaces.
The use of the additive in producing rubber-modified pavement has developed amid concerns about road quality and durability in Europe.
“As a process additive Vestenamer improves the flowability of the rubber compound, as a result of which the material can be processed much more efficiently,” explained Peter Hannen, market development manager for Vestenamer.
The reactivity and polymer structure of the additive are also important here. Both lead to a good network density between the rubber particles.
“This in turn positively impacts the mechanical properties,” Hannen said, adding: “Evonik’s process additive improves both the cost effectiveness of processing and the quality of the rubber parts when rubber is recycled.”
The use of higher levels of rubber powder in road surfaces can also cut traffic noise by up to two decibles. Evonik said a reduction by three decibles is comparable to cutting the traffic volume in half.
According to Evonik, each metric ton of recycled rubber power saves some 2.7 tonnes of CO2 which would otherwise be produced if scrap tires were burnt.
Evonik also claims that VOC emissions are also “much lower” in road surfaces containing rubber than in conventional, polymer-modified asphalt types.
Figures presented by Evonik suggest that some 19.3 million tonnes of scrap tires are generated worldwide annually, including over 3.6 million tonnes in Europe.
Evonik manufactures Vestenamer additives at its production site in Marl, Germany.
The company will be exhibiting at booth B28, hall 6 at the K fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, October 16-23.