Evaluating the Economic Performance of Reverse Polymerization Technology for Waste Tyre Recycling in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

South Africa generates about 11 million waste tyres [1,2] out of the approximately 1.5 billion that are produced globally every year [1,3]. These waste tyres are discarded in dumps and stockpiles in the residential, industrial, townships, and rural areas across the country. The uncontrolled disposal and accumulation of tyres has the potential for extremely dangerous large fires [4]. Also, while many of them are burned for their scrap metal content, and heat generation in the townships and rural areas, particularly during winter, these practices discharge toxic gases such as dioxins and carbon monoxide into the environment. These environmental concerns and the economic misfortune in disposing the valuable resource inherent in tyres following their useful lifetime are driving the country to redefine its waste tyre management practice and institute legal guidelines. The main purpose of these regulations is to cultivate environmentally safe disposal and recover value from waste tyres through recycling.