Incineration with energy recovery

With incineration of old tyres energy is recovered and raw materials are saved

Do you turn on the heating on a winter’s evening? The heat could come from your used tyres. A tyre contains a lot of energy and this energy can be recovered though incineration.

Some of the tyres collected replace coal in coal-fired power stations and in cement furnaces. Other industries, such as steel manufacturers, also use scrap tyres as a fuel in place of fossil fuels.

Every year up to 400,000 tyres

Car tyres which cannot be re-used or recycled are burned and the energy which is released and the materials are used as an alternative fuel in the cement industry and in power generation plants. We process some ten percent of the tyres collected each year in this way; equivalent to 6200 tonnes of
car tyres. That makes this the least significant processing method within the RecyBEM system. Energy and environmental experts are now encouraging the incineration of scrap tyres and energy recovery because of the high energy value. Incineration takes place under controlled conditions with minimum emission of harmful substances. One adjunct to incineration in a cement furnace is that it also involves
recycling, as the steel from the tyres replaces the iron ore needed to make cement.

Cement furnaces

The cement industry is often on the lookout for alternatives to reduce fossil fuel consumption, while at the same time guaranteeing cement quality. Our certified collection companies transport both whole and shredded tyres to cement furnaces, mainly in Germany. By using end of life tyres as a fuel in cement furnaces, we are helping to preserve natural resources. This application preserves fossil fuels such as petroleum coke, coal and heavy fuel oil. Generating energy and preserving raw materials mean a reduction in CO2 emissions. Incineration is also becoming increasingly cleaner thanks to
controlled and minimal emissions of hazardous substances.

Power generation plants

Shredded tyres are used in power generation plants to generate heat and electricity. The heat produced is then put to good use, because the heat generated can be used for district heating. Our collection companies transport tyres to Sweden in particular for this purpose. By processing end of life tyres in a power generation plant, we reduce fuel consumption compared with a standard energy plant where electricity is generated separately and heat is lost as a waste product.

Steel manufacturers and other companies*

Companies, including steel manufacturers, are increasingly discovering the benefits of using energy generated from end of life tyres. For example ArcelorMittal uses scrap tyres instead of coal in the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF – a furnace where the contents are heated through electric refraction).
Given that carbon is the biggest component in tyres, tyres are the perfect replacement for coal in steel production. The carbon in the tyres combines with the surrounding oxygen and prevents oxidation, while the steel from the tyres is recycled. As a result, the steel producer preserves natural resources
such as coal and the company reduces its costs, as well as CO2 emissions and global warming. This efficient use of resources and the innovative nature of the technology sets a leading example to other companies.

* source: Aliapur