Mix asphalt with recycled tire rubber as part of the circular economy

Abstract

Tires discarded daily generate an important environmental liability, being water accumulators that attract infections such as dengue and at the same time have high degradation times that turn them into a potentially flammable material. However, with the correct treatment of the rubber it contains and its crushing into micrometric sizes, multiple applications are achieved such as road demarcation elements, anti-trauma and safety floors, exercise accessories, artificial grass filling, among others. The one with the greatest projection in recent times is the incorporation of rubber powder from Recycled Tire Rubber (RTR) as a modifier of asphalt mixtures, increasing the properties of conventional bearing surfaces, obtaining a material with a performance in accordance with the demands of the high traffic demands. With the incorporation of RTR, said waste is removed from the environment, giving it a second useful life as an asphalt modifier, and reducing the carbon footprint. To satisfy the demand for RTR, the implementation of a tire collection system that involves municipalities, social groups and other entities should be proposed to provide the material to the companies that produce RTR.