Waste Tire Pyrolysis: Influential Parameters and Product Properties

Approximately 1.5 billion tires are produced globally each year with 300 million in the USA, which will all eventually become waste tires. Waste tires are excellent candidates for recovery of energy, as well as solid, liquid, and gaseous by-products, via pyrolysis: made predominantly from the petroleum product rubber, they have a high heating value, as well as high volatile content and medium sulfur content. This paper reviews previous research on tire pyrolysis, and in particular identifies factors affecting yield and product composition. Properties of produced oil, gases, and char are summarized, and future research studies are recommended.