Omani student proposes making use of tyre waste in building sector

Muscat – 

Tyres are amongst the most problematic sources of waste since they are sturdy, non-biodegradable and can take up useful space in landfills. It was this difficulty that prompted a student of Caledonian College of Engineering (CCE) to come up with a novel way of making use of discarded tyres in the building sector. Fatma Sulaiman Nasser al Kindi, a chemical engineering student at CCE, mentioned that discarded rubber tyres are an environmental hazard worldwide.

“I was thinking on how to make the best use of discarded tyres. I have noticed such tyres being dumped in open areas leading to pollution in the environment. I embarked on the project of recycling tyre waste particles into concrete aggregate by acid treatment and activation process,” Fatma told Muscat Daily
.

Fatma mentioned that the project is deemed as an option to the all-natural aggregates employed as filler in concrete. “Waste tyres will be converted into small pieces and mixed with concrete mixture for construction work as well as providing raw material to different industries.”

According to Be’ah, 45,000 tonnes of ‘end-of-life’ tyres are generated each and every year in the sultanate – a figure that is projected to rise in line with population development and urbanisation. For want of environmentally secure methods of disposing of this waste, these tyres have been piling up at two significant dumpsites. The largest a single is in Dhofar.

In an work to boost the durability and resilience of concrete, researchers have attempted to use recycled rubber inside concrete mixes. The outcome of this has been optimistic as it has extended the lifespan of concrete structures, roads and bridges.

Fatma mentioned rubber tyres act as a binding agent. “The biggest benefit is that it reduces the possibility of development of cracks in concrete structures, roads or bridges. It helps to strengthen the quality of a structure.”

Fatma mentioned her approach was atmosphere-friendly. “I am using acid treatment to melt the tyres instead of burning them. This prevents any chemical reaction that may result due to their burning in the presence of water vapour and sunlight.”

Information Source: Muscat Daily