Introduction

Recovered carbon black (RCB) is a recycled material produced from end-of-life tires. When tires reach the end of their usable life, they enter the waste stream where the rubber can be recovered and processed. In the RCB production process, used tires are ground up into fine crumbs and then put through a high temperature process where the rubber breaks down. This separates the steel and fiber from the rubber, leaving behind recycled carbon black particles. The RCB looks and performs nearly identical to virgin carbon black used in new tire and rubber manufacturing.

The RCB Production Process

The first step involves collecting and transporting waste tires from collection sites. Used tires must be cleaned and sorted to remove dirt, metal, and fiber. The cleaned tire crumb is then fed into a rotary kiln, which is a long, rotating, slowly inclining furnace. Inside the kiln, the crumb reaches temperatures of 1100-1400°C where the rubber is pyrolyzed, or thermally decomposed in the absence of oxygen. As the rubber breaks down, the carbon blacks are freed from the polymer structure and rise to the top of the kiln as fine black powder. Additional processing may be required to achieve the desired particle size and qualities. The RCB can then be used like virgin carbon black in new rubber formulations.

Benefits of Using RCB

One of the biggest advantages of RCB is that it provides a sustainable solution for an increasingly large waste stream. Over 1 billion scrap tires are generated each year worldwide. Using RCB keeps these tires out of landfills and incinerators. It represents a closed loop recycling process that extracts maximum value from a discarded product. RCB requires less energy to produce than virgin carbon black and has a substantially lower environmental impact than mining processes. Producing RCB also reduces dependency on imported carbon black and conserves natural resources. From an economic perspective, RCB offers rubber product manufacturers an affordable alternative to virgin carbon black. Its performance characteristics allow it to directly replace a percentage of more expensive virgin material in new tire and rubber formulations.

Performance of RCB in Tire Manufacturing

Numerous industry studies have shown that RCB performs just as well as virgin carbon black in the production of new tires. Tire companies have proven the ability to incorporate up to 100% RCB into some tire formulations without compromising quality, durability, or safety. RCB improves various physical properties of rubber such as tensile strength, wear resistance, and heat generation. It also enhances rolling resistance which improves fuel efficiency in vehicles. Industry testing confirms tires made with RCB meet or exceed all performance benchmarks for traction, handling, and treadwear. Leading tire makers now routinely use recycled content levels of at least 15-20% RCB in many tire models. As RCB suppliers continue to improve production techniques, higher substitution rates are achievable across different tire categories.

The Future Outlook for RCB

With global tire demand expected to grow significantly in coming decades, the market potential for RCB is huge. Recycling technology advancements aim to further optimize the RCB production process with reduced energy consumption. Additives may allow achieving even finer particle sizes comparable to special grades of virgin carbon black. This expanded compatibility would open new formulation options for manufacturers. Strong momentum continues to build around sustainability goals within the tire and automotive sectors. Corporations and governments alike are implementing policies to increase recycled content mandates. As more end-of-life tires are diverted from landfills into RCB markets, infrastructure will adapt to strengthen supply chain logistics. With RCB demonstrating clear technical and economic advantages, its use in tire manufacturing looks poised for considerable growth worldwide. Recovered carbon black establishes a model for innovative closed-loop recycling that creates value from waste.

In conclusion, recovered carbon black presents a highly sustainable solution for using end-of-life tires as a resource in tire manufacturing. The RCB production process recycles rubber back into a material with equivalent performance qualities as virgin carbon black. It keeps valuable rubber out of landfills while reducing demand on finite natural resources. Both tire companies and product consumers benefit from the technical, economic, and environmental advantages of incorporating RCB. With continued improvements optimizing its potential, recovered carbon black seems positioned to play a major long-term role in the global tire industry.