TREECYCLE Pty Ltd t/a Tyre Recycling Equipment SA provides its OTR Tyre handling technology to Waste Beneficiation (Pty) Ltd, the only private company that offers a turnkey mobile solution for processing any OTR tyre stockpiles in Southern Africa.
The Waste Bureau (Department of Environmental Affairs) is also using an Eagle International OTR Tyre downsizing system supplied by Treecycle Pty Ltd
The National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (NEMWA) which came into effect on the 1 July 2009 introduced an Extensive legal framework which emphasises management of waste in respect of the Waste Management Hierarchy.
One of the main objectives of NEMWA is the diversion of waste from landfill and utilization of waste where possible. OTR (Off The Road) waste tyres are no exception, as they pose a variety of challenges to the generator, with no viable solutions having been available on how to manage them until the Eagle International OTR Tyre Downsizing System was designed and manufactured in Lyons, Nebraska in the USA.
Eagle International has been developing and manufacturing tyre processing equipment for the last 28 years and are considered experts in this field.
TREECYCLE Pty Ltd.’s role:
Conveniently, for mining companies and related industries in South Africa and neighboring countries, TREECYCLE Pty Ltd t/a Tyre Recycling Equipment SA has the only effective solution to help in addressing the problem of tyre waste management. The company has introduced the solution after realizing that the magnitude of the OTR waste management is more complex and beyond the capabilities of many organizations. Mainly, the problems relate to the tyre sizes, weight and thickness of the rubber, transportation, and legal implications with reference to relevant regulations. Unlike car & truck tyres, the rubber on OTR Tyres can be up to 30cm thick and the steel content weighing up to 800kg’s.
OTR Legacy and Post Legacy Tyre Stockpile Challenges:
TREECYCLE Pty Ltd highlights the following as OTR Legacy and Post Legacy Tyre Stockpile’s challenges:
- Size of the Tyres:
- Difficult to handle and downsize to feed into a beneficiation process
- Weight of the Tyres: weighing up to 4.8 tons each
- Transportation of OTR Tyres:
- Abnormal load permits and escort vehicles and road permits required for oversized loads
- Cost: Transport distance from mines to processing facilities is prohibitive.
- Legal Implications in terms of NEMWA, ECA
etc.:
- Cost to license and permit Permanent Static processing facilities
- Abatement Plans, storage and stock pile management
- Availability of Licensed offtakes and processing facilities or licensing such facilities
- Difficulties regarding OTR Tyre solutions:
- Distance from mines or stockpiles to the processing facilities
- Capital Investment of available Permanent Static processing facility
- Alternative Oversized Tyre Reduction Equipment solutions not readily available
- Health and Safety Issues
- Fire hazard
- Handling of OTR Tyres
- Breeding of mosquitos that carry diseases.
Major Technology Provider:
TREECYCLE Pty Ltd t/a Tyre Recycling Equipment SA provides its OTR handling technology to Waste Beneficiation (Pty) Ltd, a company that offers a turnkey mobile solution for any OTR tyre stockpile. Waste Beneficiation operates specifically in the OTR waste tyre downsizing industry. Established in 2013, the company is a Level 1 BBBEE Contributor, with 100% black ownership, and a management structure that is 100% black of which 20% are female.
Waste Beneficiation is NEMWA compliant and have been appointed by the Waste Bureau. Currently, the company works on Anglo Platinum Mogalakwena mine downsizing the Waste Bureau OTR Tyres. The total tonnage to date at the current site is 8500 tons. The plant can pre-process 2000-2500 per month.
As Waste Beneficiation’s Major Technology provider, TREECYCLE Pty Ltd t/a Tyre Recycling Equipment SA, represents USA companies, Eagle International and Saturn Granutech. Eagle International and Saturn Granutech companies are the leading U.S. providers of quality tyre-recycling equipment with representation in the U.S. and international markets. They are the ONLY supplier of complete OTR downsizing systems. All the equipment is supported locally, together with the Saturn Granutech Shredders, to achieve any required output size including and up to -50 Mesch powder.
The Eagle International solution’s scope:
The downsizing OTR and Mining Waste Tyres Solution covers the following steps:
Step 1 – Eagle De Beader
Pulls the steel bead bundles from the OTR tyres
Step 2 – Eagle Punch Cutter
Cuts the tyres into two halves through the centre of the tread
Step 3- Eagle Titan 2
Cut the ½ tyres into pie shaped sections to fit in shredder
Step 4- Granutech
Shred tyres to meet transport and offtake specifications
Once the Tyres have been shredded, the rubber becomes a viable resource and is transported by Waste Beneficiation to a variety of offtakes:
- Cement Kilns
- Pyrolysis Plants
- The Scrap steel will be transported to a licensed Scrap Steel offtake.
After a task is finalised, the tyre downsizing equipment is completely mobile and can be moved from site to site. Equipment is all built on trailers and is simply towed from site to site.
Vital information:
TREECYCLE Pty Ltd highlights the following points about its solutions:
- The physical tyre processing can take place on an operation footprint of > 1000m2,
- The tires are processed through purely mechanical means using hydraulic handling and positioning equipment, cutting arms/blades and lifting equipment; and
- No thermal process is applied in managing tyres. (No air pollutants)
- The plant does not use water for pre-processing. (No water pollutants)
- Treecycle also offers the latest environmentally friendly technology in the suppression, containment and Firefighting of tyre / rubber fires.
Output
- The Eagle downsizing system can process between 6 & 8 59/80R63 tyres per hour – around 28 to 35 tons per hour.
- The Granutech Primary & Secondary shredders with screening to required size can process between 12 and 15 tons per hour of 50mm output size rubber.
Rapid, lawful deployment of solution on-site solution
The proposed on-site solution can be implemented lawfully with immediate effect, provided that the operational footprint thereof does not exceed 1000m2. Further, the downstream utilization of the separated components (Steel beading, sliced tyre segments, shredded tyres pieces) can also be lawfully implemented.
All of Waste Beneficiation off-site facilities (as proposed under the solution) are appropriately licensed and registered in terms of the Gauteng Waste Information System. Waste Beneficiation is also registered as a general- and hazardous waste transporter in terms of the aforementioned system.
Waste Tyres are, furthermore, pre-classified general waste under Annexure 1 to the Waste Classification and Management Regulations of 2013 (GN R 634 of 23 August 2013). As such, the waste tyres or processed sections would not lawfully require classification in terms of SANS10234. Nor would this waste require a SANS 10234 16-point safety data sheet (SDS) or an Assessment for Landfill Disposal in terms of GN R 636 of 23 August 2013.
