In the global wave of circular economy, tire milling production lines have become a key link connecting waste rubber to high-value recycled materials. Over 1 billion end-of-life tires (ELTs) are generated worldwide each year, and tire milling technology can convert these “black pollutants” into reusable rubber powder, crumb rubber, and even modified asphalt, creating both environmental and economic value.
I. Understanding Tire Milling Production Lines
A tire milling production line is an integrated set of equipment designed to process end-of-life tires into uniform, high-quality rubber products. Unlike simple shredding, milling uses precise mechanical grinding (often combined with cryogenic or ambient temperature technology) to break down tire components (rubber, steel wire, cord fabric) while preserving the molecular structure of the rubber.
Core Components of a Standard Production Line
Tire Shredder: With a motor power of 75-110kW, it first cuts end-of-life tires into 50-100mm coarse material and separates steel wires simultaneously;
Steel Wire Separator: With a motor power of 15-22kW, it thoroughly separates steel wires from rubber material via magnetic separation, vibration screening, etc.;
Fine Milling Machine: With a motor power of 160-250kW, it grinds coarse rubber material into rubber powder of different mesh sizes (commonly 20-80 mesh);
Screening and Dust Removal System: With a motor power of 7.5-15kW, it screens rubber powder that meets specifications and collects dust to avoid pollution.
II. Core Value of Tire Milling Production Lines (With Overseas Cases)
Solving Waste Tire Pollution and Achieving Resource Closed-Loop
Case (Texas, USA): GreenMountain Recycling in Austin, Texas, introduced a fully automated cryogenic milling production line and now processes 32,000 tons of end-of-life tires annually. The 60-mesh rubber powder produced is supplied to local asphalt plants, replacing 35% of virgin rubber, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 18,000 tons per year, and bringing the company an additional revenue of about $2.4 million.
Reducing Costs for Downstream Industries and Improving Product Performance
Case (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany): German road engineering giant STRABAG uses rubber powder from milling to produce modified asphalt. The A4 highway section paved with this asphalt has 42% higher crack resistance, 28% lower corrosion rate from winter de-icing agents, a 3.5-year longer service life, and 18% lower cost per ton of asphalt.
Expanding Application Scenarios of Recycled Rubber
In addition to modified asphalt, overseas enterprises also use milled rubber powder for:
Raw material substitution for auto parts (e.g., sealing strips, shock absorbers): Using SBR 1502 recycled rubber, Continental AG in Germany has achieved 12% recycled rubber component proportion;
Filler for artificial turf in European football fields: Using EPDM recycled rubber, elasticity is 20% higher than traditional materials, and service life is extended by 2 years;
Production of sound-insulating bricks by Dutch eco-building material enterprises: Bricks with 15% NBR recycled rubber have 18 decibels better sound insulation.
III. Selection and Operation Key Points of Tire Milling Production Lines
Equipment Selection by Processing Scale
Small-scale Line (annual processing capacity within 5,000 tons): Suitable for regional recycling enterprises; representative equipment is Fornier’s FM-500 (Italy), with main material Q355B and investment of approximately €1.2-2 million;
Medium-scale Line (annual processing capacity of 10,000-30,000 tons): Requires automated screening system; representative equipment is Granutech’s Model 700 (USA), with main material A36 and investment of approximately €3-5 million;
Large-scale Line (annual processing capacity of over 50,000 tons): Requires liquid nitrogen cryogenic milling technology; representative equipment is Buehler’s KMD-1200 (Germany), with main material S355JR and investment of over €8 million.
Key Operation Parameters
Grinding Temperature: Ambient temperature milling is suitable for soft passenger car tires; cryogenic milling (around -75°C) is suitable for hard truck tires, which can increase rubber powder purity to 99.2%;
Rubber Powder Mesh Size: 20-40 mesh is mostly used for asphalt modification, with ash content ≤ 0.5%;
Energy Consumption Control: Energy consumption per ton of rubber powder can be controlled at 180 kWh, 32% more energy-efficient than traditional equipment.
IV. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How to Handle Noise and Dust from Tire Milling Production Lines? Equipped with a three-stage sound insulation room (outer layer: 50mm rock wool + 2mm sound insulation board) and a pulse bag dust removal system, with dust emission concentration ≤ 10mg/m³ and noise outside the workshop controlled within 78 decibels.
Can Steel Wires and Cord Fabric in End-of-Life Tires Be Completely Separated? Through the combined process of “magnetic separation + vibration screening + air separation”, the steel wire separation rate can reach 99.5%. Cord fabric fibers are compressed into 10kg/bale cotton blocks and supplied to Finnish paper enterprises for the production of special filter paper.
Is the Overseas Market Price and Sales of Rubber Powder Stable? Currently, the market price of 20-mesh rubber powder in Europe is approximately €220-300/ton, and 80-mesh rubber powder is €350-480/ton. Sales are mainly concentrated in asphalt modification (62%), rubber products (21%), and building materials (17%). In 2024, the demand for rubber powder in Europe increased by 15% year-on-year.
What Is the Payback Period for Investing in a Tire Milling Production Line? The payback period for small-scale lines in Italy is about 2.5-3 years, for medium-scale lines in the USA it is about 1.8-2.2 years, and for large-scale lines in Germany, if relevant subsidies (covering up to 30% of the investment) are obtained, the payback period can be shortened to about 1.2 years.
Tire milling production lines are not only “environmental protection tools” for handling end-of-life tires but also “value links” connecting resource circulation. Grasping details such as grinding precision and separation efficiency from equipment selection to operation management can help achieve environmental goals while gaining stable economic benefits.
