It is a fact of motoring life that when the rubber hits the road, both tyres and the road surface are gradually worn down and will need replacing or repairs. But now a solution has emerged that could kill both birds with one stone.
The idea of using recycled rubber from worn-out tyres in concrete aggregate has been around for years, but until now it has not been possible to use this method to produce sufficiently robust concrete.
However, engineers at RMIT University in Melbourne have published a paper stating they have cracked the problem, something that could help make concrete and tyres alike more environmentally friendly and help develop the circular economy, with concrete restoration and repair work making every road, car park, tunnel or bridge greener when this is carried out.
The study, published in the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling, stated that it has now proven possible to make concrete of sufficient strength by using rubber instead of standard aggregate. Lead author Mohammad Momeen Ul Islam said a new technique had dispelled a “decades-old perceived limitation on using large amounts of coarse rubber particles in concrete”.
He explained: “The technique involves using newly designed casting moulds to compress the coarse rubber aggregate in fresh concrete that enhances the building material’s performance.”
Co-author Professor Jie Li said using rubber from tyres this way will “significantly reduce the consumption of natural resources and also address the major environmental challenge of what to do with used tires.”
The development is the latest in the ongoing quest to make concrete less carbon-intensive and more environmentally responsible.
Many of the largest construction, engineering and design companies in the UK have signed up to the Net Concrete Zero initiative, which aims to make concrete net zero by 2050. These include construction firms like Mace, Wilmott Dixon, the Clancy Group, Skanska UK and Laing O’Rourke.