Concrete Made From Old Rubber Tires Reigns Supreme Over Traditional Material
By Mikelle Leow, 31 Mar 2022
Photo 3215118 © Dimitris Kolyris | Dreamstime.com
Retired tires could be tired no more: A years-long test involving sustainable concrete has concluded to superb results, offering an affordable yet cleaner option for a carbon-intensive building material.
With one billion to 1.8 billion tires reportedly being disposed of around the world each year, scientists have been exploring the idea of repurposing end-of-life, non-biodegradable rubber tires as a concrete alternative for a while now. And although the rubber-made concrete has proven effective within the lab, the true test of viability should come from the real world.
Now, for the first time, scientists are validating that recycled rubber tires don’t just make a close substitute for traditional, carbon-heavy concrete in real-world, residential applications—but they’re also stronger, lighter, and have greater impact resistance. The study’s findings have been published in the Structures scientific journal by researchers from the University of South Australia and RMIT University.
The eco-friendly material, known as crumb rubber concrete, is rubber tire that is ground into, well, crumbs, which are mixed into sand typically used in concrete.
The scientists built entrances using two rubber concrete slabs and two regular concrete slabs outside a frequently-used civil engineering laboratory at the University of South Australia campus in 2018—essentially moving from the “lab to the slab,” as they so fondly recall. They then spent the following years watching how the structures held up.
“We found that reinforced crumb rubber concrete (with up to 20% sand replacement by volume) is superior to conventional concrete in some ways, with higher impact resistance, toughness and ductility, a higher damping ratio, better thermal and acoustic insulation, and a lighter weight,” concludes the study’s co-author Dr Osama Youssf.
Contractors also reported exerting “less physical effort” when “pumping, screeding, [and] finishing the concrete surface using a power trowel,” with no structural difference, Dr Youssf adds.
This means more buildings can be constructed in an environmentally-friendly way without compromising structural integrity, all while reducing rubber waste and keeping costs low.
“The results clearly show that crumb rubber cement is a viable and promising alternative to conventional concrete in the residential concrete market,” remarks co-author Professor Yan Zhuge. As such, “we strongly recommend that the concrete industry considers crumb rubber concrete as a sustainable alternative to conventional concrete in reinforced residential constructions in Australia.”
[via New Atlas and University of South Australia, cover photo 3215118 © Dimitris Kolyris | Dreamstime.com]