In one other step in the direction of their “cradle to cradle” philosophy, German tire big, Schwalbe Tires has developed the pilot Schwalbe Recycling System for used bicycle tires. And, unbiased bike supplier, Ingo Ruhland of Radl Ruhland, couldn’t be happier.
You see, Ruhland has been accumulating used tires in a former beer cellar for the final 23 years. That’s a very long time to be saving tires… lengthy sufficient to have collected 20,000 tires to be precise.
His hopes have been that someday, a tire firm would finally step up and really recycle the tires versus incinerate them.
Picture c. Schwalbe Tires
His goals got here true when Schwalbe Tires agreed to feed his used tire assortment to their recycling program, aptly named the Schwalbe Recycling System. Ruland mentioned, “I at all times hoped that someday some firm within the tire trade would handle to supply actual recycling. Now that has labored – a giant due to Schwalbe.”
A whole lot of work! The 20,000 tires needed to be moved from a former beer cellar and right into a truck container.
When Ruland heard about Schwalbe’s tire recycling program over the Summer season of 2022, he was elated. He mentioned, “I rejoiced as a result of this was precisely the data I had been ready for… for 23 years”. He additionally says the “tires are usually not trash, they’re recyclables. And we needs to be extra involved in all areas to recycle such materials as an alternative of at all times mining new uncooked materials”.
The previous beer cellar is empty now or “lastly cleaned up”, as Ruhland says. Sooner or later, the used tires that collect up at his store, will find yourself within the Schwalbe Recycling System recycling field and can be picked up frequently.
From the Press Launch:
Tire recycling as an ecological milestone
“Schwalbe is the primary bicycle tire producer on the planet to take accountability and take again and recycle used bicycle tires – turning used tires into new ones. And with none waste. Till now, used tires have been incinerated, the uncooked supplies have been misplaced, and climate-damaging CO2 was emitted. Schwalbe, along with its challenge companions Pyrum Improvements and the Technical College of Cologne (TH Köln), has reached an ecological milestone with tire recycling. The recycling course of saves 80% CO2 emissions”.
Schwalbe started the pilot part in January 2022 with round 50 sellers, and by the tip of November has reached greater than 1300. And the numbers are rising day by day.
Right here’s how Schwalbe’s Recycling System works:
- Drop off your used tires at a collaborating supplier.
- Transports the total recycling field to their recycling associate, Pyrum Improvements.
- Shredding of used tires to rubber granulate, metal, material
- Pyrum Thermolisys: Rubber granulate is transformed into secondary uncooked supplies (in a pyrolysis oven at 700 levels celsius below oxygen exclusion
– Course of gasoline: provides the entire plant with electrical energy.
– Pyrolysis oil: Used within the chemical trade as an alternative choice to crude oil
– Pyrolysis coke: (rCB) goes to step 5 - Recycled into new Schwalbe merchandise
