New Australian road project makes use of crumb rubber from end-of-life tyres

A busy road in Melbourne, Australia, now features asphalt with a crumb rubber mixture – from end-of-life tyres – thanks to the Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and the Victorian Department of Transport (DoT). The project aims to increase the use of recycled materials in construction projects.

TSA CEO, Lina Goodman, said crumb rubber-asphalt roads make“the perfect solution to a waste problem” in Australia, which generates the equivalent of 56 million used car tyres annually; with up to 30% going to the landfill or are stockpiled.

The new crumb rubber-asphalt was reportedly laid on a 1.4 km section of road in Victoria, consisting of four different crumb rubber-asphalt mixes and two conventional asphalt control sections. This is equivalent to about 1600 used car tyres. Laid over a series of nights, Goodman believes the trial is the first of its kind in Australia, based on the scale of the project and number of mixes trialled simultaneously.

ARRB CEO Michael Caltabiano explained that crumb tyre rubber, when added to an asphalt mix, adds value to a road structure and delivers better economic outcome for the community, besides generally lasting longer and exhibiting enhanced performance.

The project will see regular lab and field testing until a final report is submitted to the relevant authorities by mid-2022.

“The results of this project will provide the empirical data that supports the increased use of end-of-life tyres in roads,” Goodman added.

TSA, made up of important representatives across the tyre supply chain,was formed recently to implement the national Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme which promotes the development of viable markets for end-of-life tyres, in Australia. A positive conclusion to this project will enable TSA to convince more road authorities across the country to use crumb rubber asphalt in their road networks.