Tire shredding is a very common method of processing or recycling waste tires. In order to get tires to landfills, they must be shredded into various sizes. The size required depends on your region. Tire shredding is also used to recycle tires; shredded tires or tire mulch can be reused to pave playgrounds, athletic tracks, roads, and other venues. Many companies are investing in their own tire shredding systems. These companies can sell shredded tires and make a profit from them without having to pay someone to remove and dispose of the tires!
Tire shredders are equipment specifically designed to shred waste tires. It uses high-speed rotating blades or shear forces to break tires into small pieces or fragments for subsequent processing and transportation. It usually consists of a feeding, crushing, power, electronic control, and discharging system, and has the characteristics of compact structure, high crushing efficiency, and low maintenance cost.
Tire shredders
Primary shredders are the first machines to process waste tires. These heavy-duty shredders can tear entire tires into a pile of 2-inch to 6-inch coarse shredded rubber; they can usually process 10 to 30 tons of rubber per hour. Primary shredders are usually equipped with dual shafts.
Dual shaft shredders shred coarser waste materials because they usually do not have screening equipment like single shaft shredders. However, dual shaft shredders shred faster and are generally more durable and long-lasting. Whether you choose a single shaft or dual shaft shredder really depends on your needs.
Primary shredders are only the first step in tire shredding, as these large pieces of tires are then transferred to secondary shredders for further processing.
Grinding mills, granulators and grinders
Next, the coarse tire fragments are sent to secondary shredders (also called grinding mills). Grinding mills refine the tire fragments to only 1 inch or smaller pieces. Tires contain steel wires that need to be filtered out, which is also done by the secondary shredder. Grinding mills can be equipped with different screens to produce finished products as small as 0.5 inches.
After the clean mulch passes through the grinding mill, it is sent to the granulator. This high-speed processing machine removes other components of the rubber, such as nylon and polyester fibers, to produce what is called rubber crumb. Crumb rubber is the product of tires being shredded to very fine sizes, with each "crumb" measuring about 3/8 inch (about 9.6 cm).
If a finer shredding is required, the final step in tire shredding is a grinding machine. Crumb rubber from the granulator is placed into a crusher or fine grinder, where it is shredded to just 2 mm or smaller, ultimately forming rubber powder.
In summary, each step in the tire shredding process is intended to continually refine the rubber fragments. The primary shredder works by chopping the entire tire into coarse chunks, approximately 2 inches in size. Each subsequent machine makes the fragments even smaller and removes any non-rubber components of the tire. During the tire shredding process, steel wire, polyester fibers, and nylon are removed, leaving behind pure rubber powder.
Why shred tires?
If you are considering purchasing a tire shredder or shredding system, consider what you will be using the output material for. How finely shredded do you need your tires to be? Do you simply want to shred into pieces small enough for landfill? Are you interested in producing granules or rubber powder that can be sold and recycled? Will you be using the rubber to produce other materials? These questions will help you decide what type of machine you need.
Types of Recycled Tires
TDS (Tire Derived Shreds) are what you get from primary crushers. They contain steel, fiber, and rubber and can be used for energy production, fuel additives, or civil engineering. Secondary crushers will produce wireless chips, also known as rubber mulch. These chips can be used for landscaping, playground surfaces, and other engineering purposes. Secondary crushers also leave scrap steel behind, which can be sold for additional profit.
Granulators produce rubber granules that can be used on athletic fields, or as part of rubber sealants or asphalt. Finally, crumb rubber is the smallest shredded tire and has a wide range of uses. Asphalt, roofing materials, polymers, injection molded products, and more can all benefit from crumb rubber.
Each size of crumb rubber has multiple uses, so there is no wrong choice. It all depends on your company's needs and what you ultimately want to do with your shredded tires.
