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Elastomeric “Eco-Friendly” Material based on End-Of-Life Tyres blended with organic Bind Resin for Railway Applications (RECYTRACK)
Start date: Oct 1, 2011, End date: Dec 31, 2015 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Background According to the European Tyre and Rubber manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA), more than 3.4 million tonnes of end-of-life tyres are generated in Europe each year. Inappropriate disposal of these tyres can cause major environment problems, such as pollution arising from incineration or landfilling. The European Commission’s 2008 Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) states that end-of-life tyres (ELT) should no longer be considered as waste. Instead they should be used as secondary material for new applications. This implies a pressing need to explore and develop new uses for ELT and environmentally friendly processes for delivering useable materials. Laboratory experiments have already demonstrated the successful production of an “eco-friendly” elastomeric (rubber) material, made from a blend of end-of-life tyres and resin. Objectives The overall objective of the RECYTRACK project is to demonstrate the successful use of an elastomeric material made of end-of-life tyres blended with resin in the railway industry. The project hopes to show that this application is technically and economically feasible and also produces environmental benefits. The project will firstly work to identify the technical, environmental and economic requirements of entire whole value chain. It will conduct further testing to validate the effectiveness and adequacy of the laboratory prototypes of the recycled material. Other preparatory work will include more detailed technical design of the product for the specific uses foreseen (i.e. in isolated blocks and mats used in the railway industry). Based on this preparatory work, the project team expects to manufacture the isolated blocks and mats in the required quantities. Quality checks will be carried out to ensure that the manufactured products meet the technical, safety and aesthetic requirements of the industry. Provided the products meet these requirements, they will be tested on two railways in different regions of Spain. The two tests sites will have different railway typologies: slab-track and ballast-conventional systems. A continuous monitoring plan will assess and validate the use of these innovative products in this context. The project will also conduct a life-cycle assessment, which will take account of the energy consumption and emissions associated with original production of a tyre, as well as with its collection, transport, processing and use at its end-of-life. Expected results: The successful demonstration of the use of processed recycled tyres in industrial applications on railways; A minimum recycling of 365 000 tyres for use within the railway industry over the next 10 years; Associated economic benefits of €5 824 000 over the same period; Demonstration of the significant environmental benefits of this recycling method over the life-cycle of tyres; Contribution to the application of the EU’s Waste Framework Directive; Identification of other potential uses of the recycled elastomeric material, based on its demonstrated mechanical and vibro-acoustic properties.

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