Abstract

Management of waste tires has become an important topic for decades. The lack of an effective method to manage the materials as mentioned above leads to illegal landfills. This problematic waste can be divided into two main categories depending on the physical condition of the waste: (i) partially used tires; (ii) end-of-life tires. While the first group can be reused or retreaded, the second group requires special measures to manage it. At present, the most intensively researched method is the reclaiming of ground tire rubber (GTR). According to literature reports, many approaches have already been made to the subject, among which mechanical, thermal, chemical methods and their combinations have been used. However, the vast majority of these publications do not verify the environmental impact of processing and exploitation of the material. The following dissertation presents an analysis of the available literature on the topic of rubber waste management, as well as my research aimed at (i) developing a GTR processing technology to obtain a product with satisfactory functional properties, (ii) developing a research methodology for GTR-based products considering the gaps in the current state of knowledge, (iii) assessing the environmental impact of GTR processing, and (iv) evaluating the recycling potential of GTR-based products.

Author (1)