UB is embarking on a $1.8 million project to research possible uses for recycled tires, with funding from Empire State Development, New York State's leading economic development agency.
According to Dr. A. Scott Weber, director of the Center for Integrated Waste Management, the department will be researching and identifying types of markets that can utilize recycled "tire chips" as part of the New York State Tire Derived Aggregate Program.
"The goal of the program is to find alternative uses (of tires) that have applications in civil engineering projects," Weber said.
With this project, UB will be racing to the forefront of research on the uses of tire chips and the markets to which the recycled material can be applied.
"Tire aggregate is already used in a number of states, including New York," Weber said. "Our goal is to look for new applications and fill the information gaps."
According to Weber, programs like the NYS Derived Aggregate Program are important in students' education and maintaining UB's position as a research-intensive university.
"Essentially, as a research institution and a state university, our responsibility is to research new applications of all kinds of materials and this is one of many," he said.
The first year of the project will be spent creating a summary of how tire aggregate is used now, and what other practices it can be applied to, Weber said. Research will be conducted on markets for tire chips throughout the subsequent four years of the program.
"The program is in its first of five years, and we can probably expect changes around the second or third year," he said.
According to Weber, "crumb rubber" will be introduced to the campus. Crumb rubber is a soft, expensive rubber product derived from recycled tires. The material is mostly used to pad the areas around playgrounds and is sometimes found in mulch.
In the surrounding community, tire chips will replace the rare stone aggregate that is currently being used in septic systems and is 10 to 15 percent more expensive. One septic system could recycle around 1,500 tires, according to a press release.
"This could be used for any place that stone can be used, which is a natural aggregate," Weber said.
He believes there are many possibilities for the tire chips, including road insulation and embankments, field lines for septic systems and backfill for retaining walls.
Until recently, burning was generally a popular disposal method for tires. This process, while it can create two gallons of oil per tire, also releases toxic pollutions into the air.
Each year, about one tire is discarded per person, according to Weber. That figure translates to about 290 million tires nationwide.
"Tires were mostly going towards tire-derived fuel. Essentially, they were being burned, especially when oil prices get high," he said.
However, this program is looking to establish a way of utilizing old tires in a more environmentally friendly way.
"It's one of many projects that fits the theme of UB Green," Weber said.
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
