y to the environment but also to the consumers. End uses for scrap-tires include athletic and recreation products such as playground surfacing, asphalts, mats, and running tracks; bound and molded products such as traffic control products, home and office garden products, and roofing materials; automotive products such as hoses, belts, tires, and bumpers; and other applications such as asphalt paving, building blocks, irrigation and drainage, flooring products and carpet backing . Moreover, the stored energy from scrap-tires is currently being recovered in the United States and other countries as fuel in paper and pulp mills. Burning one passenger scrap tire produces approximately 300,000 Btus, which is equivalent to 2 gallons of fuel oil or 23 pounds of coal. The combustion of scrap tire decreases the emission of chemicals into the atmosphere such as oxides of Nitrogen and carbon dioxide when compared to coal . This advantage of scrap-tire remanufacturing facilitates the improvement of environmental performance and minimizes energy requirements for production and release of residues in the environment, and maximizes the opportunity to recycle .
Recycling Disadvantage Although scrapped tires may be recovered and be transformed to other products, it also has its disadvantages. One of the emerging issues today concerning scrap-tire management is that supply has out spaced demand. Approximately 300 million whole tires are stockpiled in locations around the nation, which may have been legally or illegally dumped, and poses the threat of pests and fires. Poorly maintained tire dumps are may become breeding grounds for rats and mosquitoes. Fires from scrap-tire piles
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