Roll-Gom, a small company based in Tilloy-Les-Mofflaines, France, currently recycles 3 million worn-out auto and truck tires per year, producing 15,000 t (16,500 tons) of used rubber. "We can recover 60% of an old tire; the rest is made up of metal and impurities," explains Eric Joan, managing director. Well-known recycling methods are used: 1. Specialized salvage companies crush the used tires into granules. 2. Roll-Gom then crushes the granules into an ultrafine powder and removes metal particles and any other impurities. 3. Sulfur is added to the rubber powder, and the mixture is simultaneously revulcanized, by heating to about 180℃ (355℉), and compressed in a mold.
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