DIY crumb rubber from tires

Since I always deal with the arrangement of the local area on my own without the involvement of specialists and expensive materials, I decided to puzzle myself with the question of how to make crumb rubber at home. In the future I will need it for landscape design. I offer two options for manufacturing raw materials: simple and complex.

Source dorogaya-zemlya.ru

We make crumb rubber with our own hands using a homemade crusher

Every year, thousands of tires are lost in landfills and landfills, despite the fact that for an enterprising person they are a free resource from which crumb rubber can be produced.

If you need it only once, you can buy it in the required quantity from the manufacturers.

But where can you get crumb rubber if you need it on an ongoing basis and in large quantities?

It is worth considering purchasing your own tire recycling equipment.

However, not everyone can afford a full-fledged installation , and not everyone will find such an investment profitable. The solution is to create equipment with your own hands and use it to produce crumb rubber from tires at home.

Material advantages

The key to the popularity of rubber granulates is its excellent performance characteristics. The crumb is elastic, but does not stretch or bend. The coating is durable and resistant - it does not react to acid or alkali.

The crumb has other advantages:

Attractive appearance. You can create black and colored coatings with different particle sizes. The crumb does not react to sunlight, the paint does not lose brightness over time.
The coating can be made to suit the size and thickness required.
The crumb does not slip and is impact resistant.
No moisture accumulates on the surface of the material.
The material is heat-resistant and can withstand temperatures ranging from -45 to 60°C.

Recycling small amounts of rubber at home

If you need very little raw material, you can do without equipment at all.
All you need to do this is scissors and a cutter .

The metal cord is first removed from the tire, then divided into strips and crushed into smaller fractions to the required size .

At this point the process is considered complete.

The material for decorating paths, flower beds or a separate playground is ready for use.

But in order to obtain a larger volume of raw materials or to have income from processing tires at home, you need the appropriate equipment.

Brief market analysis

On the Russian market there are large manufacturers of crumb rubber and coatings, tiles based on it. About 60% of tire processing in the country occurs at 4 plants: in the Moscow, Vladimir, Volgograd and Smolensk regions. Before the events associated with the entry of Crimea into Russia, this area of activity was actively developing in the country. For example, in 2013, almost 14 thousand tons of rubber granulate were produced, which is 15% more than in 2012. However, due to international pressure and crisis phenomena in the Russian Federation, the production of the material fell sharply - by mid-2022 it decreased by 71% (by 2013). The share of importers offering higher quality products has begun to grow. Now, against the backdrop of an economic revival, interest in this area is also being restored. Moreover, the niche in the regions is actually free.

Crumb rubber is the main product of car tire processing. To ensure that tires are durable, high-quality components are used in their production: natural and synthetic rubbers, softening oils. Therefore, during the mechanical processing of tires into crumbs, the composition of the rubber remains virtually unchanged. The price of crumb in rows is lower than the price of new tires, so it is in great demand.

Construction of a tire crusher

There are three main methods for producing crumbs:

Crushing tires after cooling them with liquid nitrogen to –190 degrees.
Production of crumbs using full-cycle industrial equipment with cord removal and subsequent rubber grinding.
Processing using universal crushers, which can be done at home yourself.

The first two methods require large investments. The third option is available to everyone

who has the opportunity and desire to make a crusher at home.

The necessary units can be made independently in a workshop or at a production site - where there are metal-cutting machines (lathes, milling) and a welding machine for the manufacture of component parts.

If you cannot perform mechanical processing of the workpieces yourself and you have to order them according to your own drawings, the cost of tire processing machines will still be several times cheaper than similar purchased units.

The main component on the tire conversion line is a shredder (rubber shredder). Let us consider in more detail the purpose of the components of this machine.

Unit design

The machine consists of the following main components:

electric motor 5 kW – 2 pcs;
housing with disk shafts;
lattice;
worm gearbox – 2 pcs.;
shredder frame;
loading hopper;
guide tray;
control cabinet.

The installation parts are mounted on a powerful frame welded from channels.

Box with cutting discs

The main unit of a rubber crusher is a housing with milling rolls.

At the same time, the cutting knives are made of high-strength steel and heat-treated, which significantly reduces their wear. They practically do not require sharpening during operation .

The calculation of the box openings, shafts and cutting elements must be accurate, so it must be done by a specialist in this field (designer).

Grid for calibrating crumbs

In order to obtain a calibrated fraction of tire raw materials, shredders are equipped with a special grid, which is installed under the rolls.

Worm gearbox

The rotation of shafts with disk cutters is carried out separately, directly from worm gearboxes connected to electric motors through couplings.

Factories

Mini-factories for the production of crumbs from rubber tires are the best option for those who want to process raw materials on a large scale.
Such production will have not only a personal, economic effect, but also a social one.

New jobs will be created and social tension will decrease.

Advantages of using mini-plants for the production of crumb rubber:

Compact rubber grinding plants “ATR-300” from ALPHA SPK are capable of producing up to 350 kg of tire crumbs. The equipment crushes rubber tires using a mechanical crusher.

The crumbs produced using this technology are of high quality, which means they are of great value to the end consumers of the product.

The mini-plant is equipped with the following equipment:

The mini-plant
works as follows :
The price of such a mini-plant is 9,800,000 rubles . The productivity of the mini-plant when producing crumbs of three fractions is up to 350 kg per 1 working hour. 3-4 people are enough to service the equipment. The equipment manufacturer does not directly state the need for special training for operating personnel All questions you may have can be asked on the website.

Pay attention to tire recycling plants from EcoStep.

The line of equipment includes models designed for both beginning entrepreneurs and more experienced tire processors.

The advantage of the equipment declared by the manufacturer is European quality and reliability.

Plants for processing car tires of the KPSh model from the Doza-gran company process tires into 3 fractions, including rubber dust.

On the company's website you can calculate the required equipment performance
depending on your needs and ultimate goals .
The cost of equipment is from RUB 8,300,000 .

Another manufacturer of tire processing equipment is .

The NEO line equipment it presents allows you to independently configure the desired parameters of the final product.

How to shred tires?

The technological chain consists of several preparatory stages before the product of the required fraction is obtained.

Inspection and removal of foreign objects from the tire cavity.
Cord cutting.
Cutting tires into strips measuring 50-80 mm.
Grinding of raw materials using a shredder.
Separation and separation of metal parts from textile parts.
Calibration of crumbs into fractions using a vibrating sieve.

Equipment performance

The operation of these two main units when processing tires is done in a semi-automatic mode .

For normal operation of this line, a room of about 150-200 sq. m is required. meters. This is due to the fact that you need a place to locate not only equipment, but also to store used tires, finished tire products and metal waste.

The production of crumb rubber on this equipment per hour will be approximately 200-800 kg and up to 100 kg of metal scrap; 2-3 unqualified workers will be needed to service the machines.

In addition to tires, this equipment can process other rubber (conveyor belt, inner tubes, gas masks). The output is crumbs with dimensions from 0.7 to 4 mm, while it makes up 65-85% of the total mass of raw materials.

Lines

An integrated approach to solving the problem of recycling tires is provided by lines for grinding waste tires into crumbs.

The equipment packages offered by different manufacturers differ little from each other:

technology is as follows:

The finished crumbs are packaged and can be sent for sale . Larger particles are returned to the conveyor and re-crushed.

The line capacity is from 500 kg of raw materials per hour .

To maintain the line, 2-3 people will be required per 1 shift, and no special training in how to operate the equipment is required.

On the market of production equipment, tire processing lines are represented by manufacturers from different countries. Let's look at the distinctive features of individual brands of equipment.

The LPS tire processing line from the Vologda Association of BMP Enterprises has the following advantages :

Prices for the presented crumb rubber production line start from 1,245,000 rubles , the final cost depends on its productivity.

Chinese equipment for crumb rubber, sold by the Chengyang Equipment Plant, is presented in three modifications, the cost of installations varies from 52,000 to 74,000 dollars.

The price of machines depends on productivity, which can reach 250-1000 kg/hour. More detailed information can be found on the supplier's website.

The tire processing line from Novokuznetsk is declared by the manufacturer to be fully automatic . Human participation is required only if there is a need to shred extra-large tires. The price of equipment starts from 5,000,000 rubles . You can study the supplier's offer in more detail on the website.

Where to use the resulting raw materials?

apply for your own needs;
sell wholesale and retail to the population and enterprises;
use for the production of goods or open a custom rubber coating business.

The price of the crumbs will depend mainly on the quality of the raw materials, and secondarily on the fraction.

The most popular is crumb, the fraction of which is 2-4 mm .

It's great for creating:

The popularity of such crumbs is due to the fact that a minimal amount of glue is used to glue these granules together. And a polyurethane binder is sometimes 5-8 times more expensive than crumbs.

How to make crumb rubber at home without professional equipment

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Business idea

Processing tires into crumbs is currently one of the most common business ideas, for which more than one business plan has been written. The Internet offers an abundance of ideas and detailed projects for creating your own mini tire recycling plant. Such a decision is within the power of any person who has the appropriate capital and a firmly established goal. If you implement your plan, then you don’t have to worry about such issues as the demand for the business, the availability of material for work, support from society and environmental friendliness.

An elementary method for making crumbs in small quantities

To decorate a small area with rubber crumbs, I only needed two car tires, scissors and a cutter. There were no difficulties in implementing this method. The only caveat is that it is extremely difficult to grind rubber to a minimum fraction. The whole process consisted of the following steps:

I took two worn tires from a car that were no longer suitable for use.
I examined them for the presence of nails, thorns and other unnecessary objects, then cut out the cord (metal reinforcement).
Next, using large scissors, I cut the workpieces into strips of the same width, then, using a cutter, I crushed them to the maximum possible size.

As a result, I got black rubber crumbs with my own hands. Next, I used it to decorate flower beds, after soaking it in paint to add pigment.

Complex method using equipment

This manufacturing option is reliable, but requires the preparation of special equipment. I did not buy equipment for grinding, since I also decided to assemble a structure from parts available on the farm. I'll tell you step by step what followed.

Detailed design of the unit

At this stage, I will explain what parts a homemade crusher should consist of and where I got them from. If you still have to buy something from the components, then believe me it will be much cheaper than purchasing an industrial device. So, the design should consist of:

two electric motors (I took them from two old home mills, power 5 kW each);
a housing in which disc shafts are built in (the latter had to be ordered to fit your dimensions);
regular grille;
worm gearbox (at least two pieces are required);
do-it-yourself shredder frame for rubber crumbs;
bunker for loading material for processing;
guide channel;
cabinet with control buttons;
device for preparing tires for shredding;
powerful frame for installing equipment.

The last structural element will also have to be ordered from professional welders. The frame must be made from channels. But, if you have skill in this matter, then you can think through the support yourself. Next, I propose to consider the main components of the device in more detail.

Box with built-in cutting discs

This element includes a housing equipped with small milling shafts. The knives themselves, which are used for chopping, are made of high-strength steel. They also have high thermal stability, as they can become very hot during operation. Thanks to heat treatment, cutting structures last longer and do not require periodic maintenance.

Calibration grid

This DIY tire shredder design is installed directly under the rollers. It serves to obtain a calibrated fraction from processed raw materials. This element is mandatory, as it allows you to obtain a uniform mixture.

Worm gear

It serves for separate rotation of disk cutters. The gearbox itself is connected using couplings to the provided electric motors. To cut rubber at a sufficient speed, you will need to select the correct gear ratio - from 25 to 35.

Making crumbs using a built grinder

When the DIY rubber shredder was ready, I couldn’t wait to use it. I found a few more old tires in the cellar and got to work. The whole procedure was a step-by-step algorithm, which I describe below:

Visual inspection and removal of interfering parts for recycling (garbage, pieces of dirt, glass and other sources of damage). I advise you to focus your attention on this, since the presence of a foreign body can negatively affect the operation of the constructed unit.
Cord cutting. This manipulation is also mandatory, since there is metal wire inside it, which cannot be processed in a crushing apparatus. Due to the presence of such reinforcement, the crushing machine may jam.
Preparation of belts from tires up to 80 mm wide and their further shredding using a shredder installed in the machine.
Separation. The process of separating the remaining metal parts directly from the rubber takes place.
Calibration. At this stage, the finished crumbs are changed into fractions using a built-in vibrating sieve.

At this stage, the option of professional grinding into rubber crumb can be considered complete. I would like to note that after the first processing, it seemed to me that the crumbs turned out to be quite large, so I decided to pass them through the crusher again. The second result impressed me. The result was a raw material of uniform consistency.

Changing the shape and size of chips

To obtain wood chips from trunks and branches, gear-driven devices are better suited. When feeding whole trunks, the wood comes into contact with the knives at the end, which is why the knives not only crush it, but also immediately separate it along the border of the growth rings. The resulting chips are short, thin and narrow.

Top-loading devices are better suited for shredding small-sized waste. When processing long trunks or cuttings of suitable length that move down parallel to the shafts, the chips obtained are the same as described above.

However, small-sized cuttings fall differently all the time, so the shape and size of the chips also turn out different.

The same thing happens in press-feed shredders, where the feed press constantly moves in and out of the shaft.

Therefore, it is almost impossible to change the size and shape of chips in top-feed and press-feed shredders.

However, in gear-fed shredders, you can change both the feed speed and the shaft speed. An increase in feed speed, as well as an increase in shaft rotation speed, leads to a decrease in chip size, and a decrease leads to an increase in size.

Let me sum it up

Do-it-yourself rubber crumbs can be made at home in two ways. Small volumes can be obtained quite simply, but if you need a lot of crumbs, then additional equipment will be required. Accordingly, the first question that needs to be decided is what volume of output raw materials is required.

Write in the comments whether you used one of the methods given or are you still inclined to buy crumbs from an industrial manufacturer?

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