Waste Tires As Fuel

Radial wire is the mat of steel placed under the tread to enhance tread strength and durability. Bead wire consists of many strands of high tensile strength steel that provide strength and reinforcement to the tire side walls. Radial and bead wires can account for as much as 10 percent of the total weight of a tire.3 The remainder of the weight of the tire is about 60 percent rubber, and 30 percent fiber. 

On the other hand, the size of whole tires requires the ability, to feed large fuel to a burner, and their strength makes them difficult to cut into more manageably sized pieces of fuel. Also, chlorine, ash, and volatiles are present in higher quantities in tires and TDF than in most coals. Further, the metal contained in tires, in the form of the radial wire and bead, wire can be a problem in many fuel applications. For example, loose or molten wire can clog ash exit or grate combustion openings in boilers. 

---