Every year, Australia sees an estimated 500,000 tons of tires reach their end-of-life stage. Almost half of Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) is typically destined for local landfills, and the other half is exported for recycling.

A study led by researchers from Charles Darwin University (CDU) aims to tackle this environmental issue. In this study, the researchers transform discarded truck and car rubber into sustainable road materials. According to the team, these materials proved to be high-performing.

In addition to this new method of recycling rubber for more sustainable asphalt, Australia is also recognized for its use of circular building materials. For example, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have tested coffee concrete. They used it to create a walkway.

While coffee and rubber are vastly different, it shows that engineers, scientists, and researchers are taking steps to develop cleaner, carbon-reducing infrastructure.

A Recycled Material For a More Sustainable Roadway

Car tire
Representational image; Photo: Mentor Beqiri/Shutterstock

The research focuses on modifying bitumen and asphalt with shredded rubber waste. This approach reportedly created pavements better suited to the territory’s extreme environment.  “The hot weather up here means the long-term effects of ageing roads cause different chemical reactions within the pavement,” study lead author Ramin Shahbazi said. “Which makes the road harder or more brittle and leads to damaged roads.”

Ultimately, the study aims to match the performance of regular materials. According to Shahbazi, there is “potential we could surpass that performance.”

In addition to the durability of the recycled material, it offers economic and environmental benefits. Shahbazi explained that it is an unnecessary burden to rely on a costly alternative to withstand the extremely hot climate.

“Paying for an expensive polymer just to meet the traffic and weather conditions of Territory roads is like adding an environmental cost to the infrastructure’s overall price tag,” he said. “Investing in the specific recycling facilities for these materials will then contribute to the circular economy in the Territory.”