They're Making Oil From Old Tires

They're Making Oil From Old Tires ENERGY Alternative Fuels 6-2-22 You've never seen a machine like the new "Pyrolator", developed by the Kutrieb Corporation in Wisconsin, that turns old rubber tires into oil and other basic elements. "There are millions of used tires piled up in dumps across the country that are nearly impossible to dispose of. Even if you bury them, they tend to rise to the surface if they haven't been chipped up," says Harold Fredrickson of Kutrieb. "Our machine breaks tires down into basic elements that can be used to remanufacture other products. We've found that a typical bias ply tire contains 35% oil, 20% methane gas, 38% carbon black, 5% steel and about 2% moisture." The Kutrieb Corporation is well-known as one of the leading manufacturers in the world of waste oil burners that turn used crankcase oil into "free" fuel for heating farm shops, garages and livestock buildings. The first prototype Pyrolator holds up to nine tires in its inner air-tight chamber. The tires are loaded without being processed in any way, and heated to the point where they break down into gases, steel and carbon black. The gases are funneled into a condenser where most of them condense into an oil that flows into a resevoir. The extra gases go into a storage tank. Some of the oils and gases are used to refuel the burner's tire-burning chamber. About 1 gal. of oil is used per hour to fire up the burner. The net gain in oil per tire ranges from 3/4 to 1 gal. So, from a nine tire load, the operator nets up to 8 gals. of oil, plus the carbon black, steel and methane gas, all of which can also be sold. Wisconsin's pollution control agency investigated the Pyrolator and found no evidence of air pollution, such as the thick black smoke commonly associated with the burning of old tires. The tires are contained in the inner airtight chamber and are never actually touched by the flames. The unit's waste oil burner is also pollution free. "We are currently developing our first commercial installation for a tire retreader in Pennsylvania. That unit will require one full time man to operate it. Our figures show that the unit will have a payback of one year, says Fredrickson. "Waste heat" from the Pyrolator process is clean and can be used for general heating and air conditioning, and to produce steam, hot water and electricity. Not much experimenting has so far been done with the oil extracted from old tires. Company officials note that it "burns great" in their waste oil burners. Farmers and manufacturers, with more than one building to heat, have shown interest in installing waste oil burners in their buildings, then producing "tire oil" fuel for them with a Pyrolator. Frederickson believes the oil can eventually be refined for motor vehicle use. The company has plans to build units in the future that could hold as many as forty tires at once and operate automatically. Initially, each Pyrolator will be custom-built. Prices start at about $20,000. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kutrieb Corporation, 430 Phillip Street, Chetek, Wisc. 54728 (ph 715 924-4871).

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