ENVARIOMENTAL IMPACT
Tires are made from synthetic rubber derived from petroleum and natural rubber. The elasticity and strength of tires is enhanced through the process of vulcanization. During this process the rubber is treated with sulfur, zinc oxide, lampblack and chemical additives. Steel and textile fibers are applied within the final heat and pressure. This entire process make the end-of-life tires more difficult to be recycled. Discarded tires are hazardous for many reasons. Piles of discarded tires can pose a health risk to people in surrounding areas, as the tires are prime habitats for mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can spread diseases such as encephalitis and dengue fever which are commonly reported around used tire piles. Surface water of nearby rivers, lakes and streams are also put into risk by the proximity of a tire stockpile, as runoff from the tire yards can badly pollute these waters. Tire fires are another possible hazard because they are extremely difficult to extinguish. Attempts to extinguish tire fires may also cause additional air and soil pollution. In the past year across the United States there were over 350,000,000 used tires discarded in dumps and recycling centers. This enormous volume of tires is enough to cover a space of 53 square miles, equal to 25,705 full size football fields, an area larger than the entire city of Anaheim, in Orange County, California, with a population of about 330,000 people. Worldwide, the number of discarded tires has increased every year for the past 25 years, and will continue to increase into the foreseeable future. STREX’ unique recycling process has the ability to offer a better alternative end-use for worn tires, which presently are either deposited in our nation’s landfills and recycling centers, or are burned for “derived fuel” (TDF) with all the catastrophic effects of the global warming. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are primary contributors to global warming and subsequent climate change. CO2 and SF6 gases are emitted from a variety of industrial processes, tire incineration has been identified as a major culprit. Used tires are burned for derived fuel in industries at cement kilns, pulp/paper mills, coal-fired power plants, and other industrial boilers or waste incinerators. The recycling and manufacturing processes at STREX are totally eco-friendly, with zero negative impact on surrounding communities and zero carbon footprint.
