Waste Tires Rubber Recycling

What really happens when your car tires wear out? While recycled rubber gets new life as playground surfaces or mulch, a hidden hero remains buried inside: ​hair-thin steel wires. Here’s how these tiny metal threads get a second chance! ​ Why Save the Wires?​​ Tires are more than just rubber. Steel wires woven into their structure provide strength and shape. These capillary wires (thinner than a pencil lead!) are pure, high-quality steel. Recycling them: Saves raw iron ore mining Uses 75% less energy than making new steel Keeps tires out of landfills But how do we extract wires trapped in rubber? ​ The Wire Rescue Mission: Three Simple Steps​ ​Step 1: Shredding & Shaking​ Old tires are torn into small chunks. Powerful magnets grab larger steel fragments, but finer wires cling to rubber. Next stop: the steel spa! ​Step 2: The Heat Treatment​ Rubber-coated wires enter a special high-heat oven. At 250°C–400°C: Rubber burns away cleanly Steel wires emerge bare and ready Harmful fumes are filtered for safety ​Step 3: Magnet Magic​ Strong magnets pull the freed wires from ash and dust. Air jets give them a final cleanup. Now pure and shiny, they’re bailed into metal cubes. ​ New Life for Old Wires​ These rescued steel bundles head to mills where they’re: Melted into fresh steel ingots Rolled into reinforcement bars Used in construction, machinery, or even new tires ​ Why This Tiny Effort Matters​ ​Eco-Win: Recovering just 1 ton of tire steel saves 1.5 tons of iron ore and cuts CO₂ emissions drastically. ​Economic Bonus: Steel wire recycling makes tire processing profitable—encouraging more recycling. ​Everyday Impact: That bridge you cross or playground mat your kids use? Recycled tire steel and rubber are likely inside!   ​The Bigger Picture​ Tire recycling isn’t just about rubber. Those nearly invisible wires prove that every scrap has value. With up to 70% of a tire’s steel recoverable, this quiet recycling hero helps build a greener world—one thread at a time. Next time you replace tires, remember: you’re not discarding rubber. You’re returning steel to the cycle.