Mining has long been a foundational pillar of the Australian economy, from the gold rushes of the 1850s to its current role as a key driver of national GDP—contributing approximately 13.6% in 2023. Predominantly export-oriented with limited onshore processing, the sector now faces a critical sustainability issue: the disposal of Off-The-Road (OTR) tyres. With an export ban on used OTR tyres in place, Australia must urgently develop local recycling solutions to manage this growing environmental challenge.
According to the TSA reports, Australia alone generates an estimated 130,000 tonnes of end-of-life OTR tyres each year, with the mining sector accounting for approximately 79% of that total. Unlike passenger vehicle tires, these mammoth size tyres can weigh as much as 3.8 tonnes each and are engineered with extreme durability in mining, construction, and agricultural applications. Mining tyres are combination of rubber, steel, and fabric, materials that can withstand extreme conditions but difficult to recycle.
Alarmingly, only about 10% of these tyres are currently recovered, while the remaining 90% are either buried or stockpiled at remote mining and agricultural sites. These traditional disposal practices are unsustainable both environmentally and economically, often leading to long-term ecological damage and missed opportunities for material recovery and reuse.
As they reach the end of their service life, the challenge of managing them responsibly becomes a pressing environmental concern. Fortunately, innovation in OTR tyre recycling technology is opening new pathways toward a more sustainable future for the sector.
Red Flags in the Mining Sector’s Struggle with OTR Tyre Waste
The sustainability of Mining tyres disposal is hindered by several deeply rooted challenges, such as:
Scale and Volume: OTR tyres are not only enormous in physical size, but they are also produced and discarded in large volumes. Their dimensions and weight make collection, storage, and transportation a logistical burden, especially in remote areas.
Material Complexity: Constructed from a blend of high-strength rubber, steel reinforcements, and synthetic fabrics, these tyres are built to endure extreme conditions. However, this same durability makes them exceptionally difficult to dismantle and process using conventional recycling techniques.
Geographical Isolation: Many mining operations are situated in geographically remote and inaccessible regions. Transporting end-of-life tyres from these locations to centralized recycling facilities significantly increases operational costs and carbon emissions, often discouraging proactive recycling efforts.
Environmental Risk: Improper disposal methods such as landfilling or on-site burial can have severe environmental repercussions, including leaching of contaminants into the soil and groundwater, habitat disruption, and the creation of long-term fire hazards. These methods also delay the opportunity to recover valuable materials, effectively transferring the environmental cost to future generations.
To address these challenges, the industry has introduced specialized machinery and procedures designed specifically for the efficient recycling of OTR (Off-the-Road) tyres:
De-beading
The recycling process begins with de-beading, which involves extracting the steel bead wire from the tyre. This step helps separate metal components from the rubber, making the material easier to process in subsequent stages.
Tyre Shearing
Following de-beading, the tyre is cut into smaller, more manageable pieces using powerful hydraulic shears. This stage is essential for handling the size and density of large OTR tyres.
Shredding
After shearing, the tyre pieces undergo shredding to further reduce their size. This critical step transforms the rubber into smaller fragments, making it suitable for various recycling applications such as Tyre Derived Fuel (TDF), landscaping and playgrounds, Civil Engineering Applications, Raw materials to produce pyrolysis oil, Crumb rubber-modified bitumen (CRMB) in road construction and more. Fornnax provides advanced industrial-grade shredders capable of processing large volumes of tyre material efficiently irrespective of size and volume.
Fornnax robust OTR tyre recycling plant operates across three main stages:
- Stage 1: Primary Shredding – Produces uniform shreds ranging from 50 mm to 150 mm.
- Stage 2: Secondary Shredding – Converts the primary shreds into smaller 20–30 mm steel free chips, also known as rubber mulch.
- Stage 3: Granulation – Reduces rubber mulch into finer granules while separating approximately 50% of the textile content and delivers 0.8–4 mm rubber granules by removing the remaining textile and steel, achieving up to 99.9% purity.
To summarize this article, in an era where sustainable practices are no longer optional but imperative, the recycling of OTR mining tyres has emerged as a lucrative opportunity. This is largely driven by the Australian government’s active support, including the implementation of gate fees or collection fees that encourage responsible disposal and recycling. These regulatory measures not only promote environmental accountability but also create financial incentives for businesses to invest in tyre recycling solutions.
With this, Fornnax stands at the forefront of innovation with its robust OTR tyre recycling solutions tailored for the mining industry’s toughest challenge. With over decade of offering specialized, high-performing equipment designed to handle the large volumes and size, complexity of mining tyre waste and produce highest purity output products.
Fornnax’s comprehensive OTR tyre recycling system not only ensures the efficient recovery of valuable materials like steel, rubber, and textiles but also contributes meaningfully to environmental conservation and regulatory compliance. Contact Fornnax to know more!
Visit www.fornnax.com
