Recycling rubber

Unique process

Through our unique recycling process, we have been able to economically recycle rubber tracks into a high-quality rubber powder that can be fully reused.

Recycle my rubber waste

Collection of EOL rubber products

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Sale of rubber powder

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Innovative process

Project Active Rubber has devised a process in which the rubber is sprayed off the metal at high pressure. One of the advantages is that this technique can be used without any dosage of additives. Only pure water is used.

Another big advantage – probably the biggest advantage – is the fact that the rubber released can be reused for application in high value products, unlike rubber granules.

To ensure the best possible quality, we work with reputable partners.

The material we recycle is fully reused, even the metal is reused.

Good structure

Good miscibility

The extracted rubber powder consists of several fractions, from 180 µm to 2500 µm. This rubber powder is highly suitable for reuse.

Particle size can be adjusted upon customer’s request.

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Frequently asked questions

Is your rubber vulcanized or devulcanized?

Our rubber powder is still vulcanized, but it is so fine that it can be added to virgin rubber in very large amounts.

What do I have to pay if I turn in EOL rubber products such as tracks?

The prices per ton are market prices and they can vary. Currently (2021) between €140 and €180 per ton plus transport costs.

Why do you choose mechanical recycling and not chemical recycling?

Chemical recycling, including pyrolysis, requires more energy. Mechanical recycling is less energy intensive and the recycled powder can be added to virgin rubber while maintaining quality. As a result, the carbon footprint is much smaller.

When water jetting, isn't there a lot of use of water, and isn't that polluting?

With a rotating brush separator (RBS), we collect all the water, remove the solid particles and recycle the water through ultra filtration (UF). Over 90% of the water is reused.

What chemicals do you use for the process?

Only water is used in the overall process, no chemicals. The water is recycled as much as possible.

What are the particle sizes of your powder?

Depending on what the customer ultimately needs, we can separate the powder into separate sizes. The smallest we can currently offer separately as a sample is powder smaller than 180 microns.

What is the difference in product between shredding and water jetting?

Shredding produces square cubes with smooth walls (granules). Water jetting creates exploded snowflakes with a very large surface area per volume. When mixed with virgin rubber, the contact area is much larger and the adhesion is ultimately much stronger.

Why are you guys starting with tracks and not doing car tires yet?

Most car tires are shredded. Tracks (and other technical rubber products) cannot be shredded due to their shape and composition (blocks of steel). For this reason, they are burned, used for landfill and/or transported outside of Europe. Project Active Rubber can solve this problem.

Can your technique also be used for other rubber waste?

Yes, the same principle can be used for all rubber waste, especially products that inherently have a large mass. Not only tracks, but also solid tires, rubber dredging lines, oil pipelines, conveyor belts, etc. The basic technique of water jetting remains the same, as well as drying and separating by grain size.

What happens to rubber waste now?

In the case of tracks; landfill (landfill) or incineration and usually transport outside Europe. Since there is no accepted way of processing/recycling, the bulk of these tracks end up just being dumped, either in the Netherlands or somewhere abroad.

Can you recycle everything from the track?

Yes, a track consists of about 60% steel and this comes out clean through our process and can be reused. Over 35% consists mainly of rubber powder which can be blended into new products while maintaining quality and properties. The remaining part (max 5%) is coarse material that cannot be admixed, but is suitable for pyrolysis or otherwise.

Collection | Recycling | Sales

Collection of EOL rubber products Sale of rubber powder