In the process of large-scale development of the global waste tire recycling industry, tire crushing lines, as core equipment for front-end processing, directly determine the efficiency and benefits of subsequent processing links. Unlike traditional crushing equipment, professional tire crushing lines focus on “efficient dissociation, low consumption, and stability”. By precisely controlling crushing force and particle size, they realize the initial separation of rubber, steel wires, and cord fabrics, providing high-quality raw materials for refined processing such as milling and pelletizing. They are a key link for recycling enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
I. Core Working Logic and Component Characteristics of Tire Crushing Lines
The core principle of a tire crushing line is to gradually decompose the composite structure of waste tires through a step-by-step process of “graded crushing – shear dissociation – precise separation”. While avoiding excessive damage to rubber, it maximizes separation efficiency. Compared with ordinary crushing equipment, its core components have stronger pertinence and durability:
Pre-crushing Shaping Machine: With a motor power of 132-185kW, it adopts an arc-shaped pressure roller design to adapt to waste tires of different diameters (14-24 inches). It crushes complete tires into regular block materials of 120-180mm, avoiding jamming problems in subsequent crushing processes;
Primary Shear Crushing Machine: With a motor power of 200-280kW, it has a dual-shaft asynchronous shear structure, and the cutter teeth are made of cemented carbide. It shears pre-crushed blocks into 60-100mm coarse crushed materials, and peels off tread rubber and carcass steel wires simultaneously;
Secondary Fine Crushing Machine: With a motor power of 250-355kW, the gap of the fine tooth roller is adjustable (5-20mm). It crushes coarse crushed materials into uniform crushed materials of 20-50mm, with a separation rate of over 85%;
Multi-stage Separation System: Composed of a high-strength magnetic separator (motor power 22-37kW) and an air separator, it first separates steel wires, then separates cord fabric fibers through the difference in air density, and finally the purity of rubber crushed materials reaches 99%;
Intelligent Control System: Equipped with a PLC touch screen, it can real-time monitor crushing pressure, motor load, and discharge particle size, supporting automatic parameter adjustment. It automatically shuts down for protection when overloaded, reducing equipment loss.
II. Core Value of Tire Crushing Lines (New Overseas Cases)
Large-scale Processing to Adapt to the Needs of Industrial Clusters
Case (Ontario, Canada): To support the local rubber deep processing industrial cluster, local recycling giant EcoCycle introduced 3 heavy-duty tire crushing lines to build a front-end processing center with an annual processing capacity of 150,000 tons of waste tires. The 30mm rubber crushed materials produced are directly supplied to 12 surrounding milling and pelletizing enterprises. Centralized processing reduces the front-end equipment investment of each enterprise, saving about 4 million Canadian dollars in comprehensive costs for enterprises in the cluster every year, and driving the large-scale development of the regional recycling industry.
Customized Adaptation to Solve the Dilemma of Special Tire Recycling
Case (Dubai, UAE): In view of the large number of large waste tires of engineering vehicles and desert off-road vehicles in the Middle East, Dubai recycling enterprise TirePro customized an extra-large tire crushing line, equipped with 1.2m diameter wear-resistant pressure rollers and 355kW high-torque motors, which can directly process giant engineering tires with a diameter of 3m and a weight of 2 tons. It processes 28,000 tons of special waste tires annually, and the 50mm crushed materials produced are used for the base filling of Dubai’s new airport runway, with a price of 220 US dollars per ton, a 37% premium over ordinary rubber crushed materials.
Cross-border Integration to Expand the Application Boundary of Raw Materials
Through precise processing of tire crushing lines, overseas enterprises have broken the traditional application limitations of rubber crushed materials:
Infrastructure Field: Norway mixes crushed rubber materials with concrete to produce anti-collision guardrails for cross-sea bridges. The impact resistance of the guardrails is increased by 50%, and the weight is reduced by 20%;
Energy Field: Dutch enterprises use rubber crushed materials as auxiliary fuel for biomass power generation, burning them mixed with straw, which increases thermal efficiency by 15% and reduces nitrogen oxide emissions;
Agricultural Field: Australian farms lay rubber crushed materials on the ground of greenhouses to play a non-slip and thermal insulation role. The temperature in the greenhouses is increased by 2-3℃, and the crop growth cycle is shortened by 10%.
III. Key Points for Equipment Selection and Cost Control of Tire Crushing Lines
Select Equipment Type According to Profit Model
Processing Service Type (annual output 80,000-120,000 tons): Suitable for providing front-end crushing processing services for downstream enterprises. It is necessary to select equipment with high processing efficiency and strong adaptability. Representative equipment is Metso’s Lokotrack LT200H (USA), with main material A516Gr60, investment of approximately 5.8-7.5 million euros, and processing fee of about 8-12 euros/ton;
Independent Processing Type (annual output 30,000-80,000 tons): Adapt to the own back-end processing links (such as own milling line), and need to match the particle size requirements of the back-end process. Representative equipment is Komptech’s Crambo 5000 (Germany), with main material S420ML, investment of approximately 3.2-5 million euros, which can reduce raw material loss in the own industrial chain;
Regional Distribution Type (annual output 10,000-30,000 tons): Suitable for county-level recycling stations. It is necessary to select equipment with small floor area and simple operation. Representative equipment is UNTHA’s XR300 (Italy), with main material Q355D, investment of approximately 1.8-2.6 million euros, mainly undertaking waste tire processing business from surrounding individual households.
Key Cost Control Parameters
Equipment Energy Consumption: Prioritize production lines with variable frequency motors. The energy consumption per ton of crushed materials is controlled at 110-160kWh, which is 25% more energy-efficient than ordinary equipment, saving about 150,000-200,000 euros in electricity fees annually;
Wear Part Cost: Select equipment with cemented carbide cutter teeth and high-chromium alloy liners. The replacement cycle of wear parts is extended to 800-1200 hours, and the annual replacement cost is reduced by 40%;
Labor Cost: Select intelligent and automated production lines. A single line only needs 2 operators, 3 fewer than traditional equipment, saving about 300,000-500,000 euros in labor costs annually;
Maintenance Cost: Select equipment with simple structure and easy disassembly. Daily maintenance time is shortened to 1 hour/day, equipment failure rate is reduced to below 3%, and downtime losses are reduced.
IV. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Are the Installation Cycle and Site Requirements of Tire Crushing Lines? The installation cycle of general-purpose production lines is about 15-20 days, and that of heavy-duty lines is about 30-40 days; the site needs to be hardened. Floor area: small-scale lines are about 500㎡, medium-scale lines about 1000㎡, and large-scale lines about 2000㎡. At the same time, space for raw material stacking areas and finished product silos should be reserved.
How to Solve the Dust Pollution Problem in the Crushing Process? Dust hoods are installed above all levels of crushers and sieves, supporting pulse bag dust removal systems. The dust emission concentration is ≤8mg/m³, meeting the EU GB 16297-2014 standard. The dust concentration in the workshop is controlled below 10mg/m³ to ensure the health of operators.
What Policy Supports Are There for Tire Crushing Lines in Overseas Markets? Most EU countries provide investment subsidies for waste tire recycling equipment, with a subsidy ratio of about 20%-30%; some US states give tax reductions to front-end processing enterprises, reducing taxes by 10-15 US dollars for each ton of waste tires processed; countries such as Canada and Australia include tire crushing in carbon emission reduction projects, which can apply for carbon trading income.
What Is the Equipment Life and Depreciation Cycle of Tire Crushing Lines? The service life of the main structure of high-quality equipment is about 15-20 years, and the service life of core components (motors, pressure rollers) is about 8-10 years; the general industry depreciation cycle is 5-8 years. The annual depreciation cost of small-scale lines is about 300,000-500,000 euros, and that of large-scale lines is about 1-1.5 million euros.
The core competitiveness of tire crushing lines lies not only in processing efficiency but also in cost control and adaptability. Recycling enterprises need to accurately select equipment types according to their own profit models, raw material types, and downstream needs. At the same time, by optimizing operating parameters, controlling wear part losses, and utilizing policy support, they can maximize the reduction of operating costs. Driven by global circular economy policies, efficient and energy-saving tire crushing lines will become core equipment for recycling enterprises to seize market opportunities.
