Scientists Have Cemented A Way To Turn 100% Recycled Tires Into Concrete

As the never-ending hunt for alternative materials in a world trying to seek sustainability continues, RMIT University researchers have managed to create concrete from an unlikely source: recycled tires. 

The discovery is not a new one, as previously the team had experimented with tires. However, they found that in order for the concrete to be passed by building laws to be used in actual construction, they had to supplement the mixture with sand.

Now, it seems as if they have perfected the research and found a way to solely rely on used tires. 

The study, which was outlined in the Resources, Conservation & Recycling journal, reveals that the new method includes newly-improved casting molds that can compress the crushed rubber tires and mix them with fresh concrete to provide a sustainable mix to build with.

The result is a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly, and lightweight formula that turns concrete production into a circular process.

The new production method gives tires a second life as, according to the university, 1.5 billion tires will be disposed of at landfills each year by 2030. 

It also eliminates the need to create all new aggregates to use in the concrete mix. 

Professor Jie Li, who worked on the project, says that the tire-slash-cement material could be used in low-cost housing developments in rural areas not only in Australia but all over the world as well.

[via TechXplore and Gizmodo Australia, cover image via Quality Stock Arts/Adobe Stock]