Scrap tire and waste rubber expands
into new markets
Ecser Holding Corp, a developer of rubber recycling
technologies, has introduced a process that could greatly expand
the market for scrap tire and waste rubber.
Building on their patented Counter-Cure, which
allows waste rubber to be substituted for virgin material in a master
batch, Ecser has created a material with an absorption capacity
of six times its own weight and potential uses outside of the traditional
crumb rubber markets.
The new process, called Spill-Cure, is mainly
used for oil absorption, but may be used for other chemicals.
It mixes easily, and so would have applications
in the oil and gas drilling industries. Environmentally speaking,
Spill-Cure is non-toxic and in a marine oil spill situation, it
remains floating on the surface of the water for easy collection.
After it has been collected, the oil, crude and refined alike, can
be extruded to be cleaned and reused.
The leftover rubber product, called Saturated
Spill-Cure, has use in other applications such as landscaping, construction
and as an insulation product. This will eliminate landfilling and
completes the recycling circle.
Spill-Cure’s oil absorbing properties are
useful in more places than marine or terrestrial oil spills. It
can be inserted into pipe sleeves, or be used in pillows under or
around gasoline holding tanks, which would help reduce the amount
of fuel being leaked into the soil or water in a marine situation.
Spill-Cure is a process that many people could
make use of. Ecser’s business model is to license the technology
to companies that process large quantities of rubber. The process
itself involves targeted destruction of rubber’s vulcanization
grid through a chemical modifier.
Ecser discloses that its process is simple enough
to be implemented in nearly any rubber manufacturing facility by
employing standard milling and extrusion machinery. The company
expects that crumb rubber manufacturers, compounders, and rubber
recyclers can use the Spill-Cure process to explore new markets
for scrap rubber.
For more information, visit Ecser’s website
at www.ecser.net. |
