According to Russian media reports, a fire has broken out at the world's largest scrap tire landfill in Kuwait. Video footage shows thick black smoke billowing into the sky, visible from a great distance. Local media reported that the landfill contains 52 million scrap tires stacked densely together, and the carcinogenic compounds and heavy metals released as the tires burn could have serious health consequences. If the fire is not brought under control quickly, it could lead to a global ecological disaster.
A 30‑Year‑Old Environmental Time Bomb
It is reported that the tire landfill, located near the city of Surabia in Kuwait, covers an area of 600,000 square meters and is the world’s largest landfill for discarded tires. Since November 2020, the Kuwait National Environmental Protection Agency has been determining how to handle the old tires, which have been stored in this manner for more than 30 years. Fires break out occasionally, and the country must act swiftly to extinguish them.
"Black Gold"—The Untapped Value of Scrap Tires
Apart from being stockpiled, are there other options for discarded tires? The answer is yes. Scrap tires are often referred to as “black gold” and possess significant recycling value. For example, they can be directly retreaded for reuse; the steel cords can be recovered for steelmaking; the rubber can be finely ground into rubber powder; they can undergo pyrolysis to produce oil; or they can be used as alternative fuel (TDF) in cement rotary kilns or power plants. Market data indicates that recycled products derived from scrap tires—after processes such as shredding and grinding—command higher prices than the direct sale of used tires.
GEP ECOTECH's Comprehensive Tire Recycling Solutions
GEP ECOTECH has been dedicated to the field of waste tire disposal for many years and can provide a variety of waste tire recycling solutions:
Solution 1: TDF (Tire-Derived Fuel) Production
The calorific value of waste tires exceeds 8,000 kcal, which is higher than that of coal (5,000 kcal). Many cement plants, power plants, steel mills, and smelters have begun using shredded waste tires as fuel, thereby reducing energy consumption and production costs.
Solution 2: Shredding into Rubber Granules
Scrap tires undergo coarse shredding in a twin-shaft tire shredder followed by fine shredding in a two-stage steel cord separator. The recovered steel cord can be sold or further smelted, while the rubber granules can be used for recycled rubber products, sports fields, and other applications.
Solution 3: Shredding and Grinding for Rubber Powder
Whole scrap tires pass through a shredding and milling production line to remove non-rubber impurities (such as nylon fibers and steel cord), resulting in relatively pure rubber powder. Depending on the customer's specific particle size requirements, the rubber powder can be customized to different mesh sizes.
In addition to the solutions described above—which have been verified and recognized by numerous tire disposal companies—GEP ECOTECH can also provide a full range of equipment required for tire disposal, such as tire shredders, tire de-corders, steel cord separators, drum screens, rubber crushers, pelletizers, and fiber separators. Among these, the core equipment—the tire shredder—features a structural design that combines a twin-shaft shredder with a ring roller screen, enabling simultaneous shredding and screening to ensure that both output and particle size meet production requirements.
GEP ECOTECH is a recognized expert in the waste tire recycling industry, with years of proven experience and a full portfolio of innovative, reliable solutions tailored to diverse disposal needs. Whether you are looking to reduce environmental risks, recover valuable materials, or optimize fuel alternatives, our team is ready to support you with professional advice and cutting-edge equipment. Feel free to contact us for consultation or project collaboration—we look forward to helping you turn "black waste" into "black gold"!
