The LSI TyreHog uses microwave technology to recycle up to 1,200 tyres per day
TyreHog Microwave-Based Pyrolysis Mobile Solution
Lubrication Specialties, Inc. (LSI), has introduced a self-sustaining solution for recycling tyres. The LSI TyreHog is a completely mobile machine that uses microwave renewable technology to recycle up to 1,200 tyres per day. The TyreHog microwaves break down tyres in a continuous process along a conveyor belt, allowing for rapid reclamation of high-quality, economically valuable end products, including recovered Carbon Black, oil, and natural gas.
“Our initial testing indicates one TyreHog machine can produce 2.8 million pounds of Carbon, 1.5 million pounds of oil, and 1.3 million pounds of gas per year,” says Chris Gabrelcik, president and CEO of Lubrication Specialties. “These estimates translate to a yearly value of $1.8 million in Carbon Black, $258,470 in crude oil, and $102,495 in natural gas.”
By-products created by the TyreHog can be used across many applications and can even be used to power the TyreHog itself, making it fully sustainable.
“Each model has the potential to help companies generate an estimated $2.15 million in annual revenue, dollars that originally would have sat in a landfill or been torched,” says Gabrelcik.
He adds that this new approach addresses the many processing difficulties encountered with traditional pyrolysis, including low efficiency, and fouled heat transfer.
“Our microwave-based technology has an 80 per cent+ energy conversion, eliminating heat transfer issues. Where other solutions have produced low-quality carbon, the carbon captured by the TyreHog is low in volatile organic compounds (VOC), making it more suitable for reuse applications.”
According to Gabrelcik, recycling or repurposing currently accounts for only a small percentage of what happens to end-of-life tyres (ELTs); most are dumped or incinerated, both of which have devastating impacts on the environment.
Knowing that one TyreHog machine can recycle at least 288,000 tyres each year, Gabrelcik says the TyreHog solution can make real headway in the global, ELT problem.
“With the right machines in use over the next few years all around the world, millions of tyres have the potential to be eliminated from landfills, and millions of dollars could be funnelled into the local economies of communities most plagued by tyre waste.”
“It would be sensible for world leaders to consider alternatives to current tyre disposal methods, such as the TyreHog, as they work toward creating a more sustainable future for their citizens,” continues Gabrelcik.
“In addition to national governments, the TyreHog could be utilised by regional and municipal governments, waste management companies, tyre shredder manufacturers, or simply an outside investor looking to improve our world’s carbon footprint. Once tyres are cleared from one site, its small, easy-to-transport design can be transported on a standard tractor trailer to the next area where tyres have been collected, saving thousands on transportation and logistics.”
