From Pirelli
Ever questioned what happens with the ten of thousand of used and new Formula 1 tires returned after each Grand Prix? Pirelli has found a way to recycle them.
As part of Pirell's “green technology” programme, the Italian company is committed to respect for the environment, having started to eliminate aromatic oils from some of its road and competition tires since 2007.
Since 1 January 2010, as required by European legislation, all of Pirell's road and motorsport tires are produced without aromatic oils.
Part of this commitment also involves the ecological disposal of the tires once they have been used. All the tires are transported back to Didcot, Great Britain after each Grand Prix, where they are finely shredded, along with other road car tires.
The shredded tires form small pellets, which are then burnt at extremely high temperatures as fuel for cement factories. The extremely high temperatures, in excess of 1400 degrees centigrade, mean that no noxious fumes are released and the only particles that remain is very fine, non-poisonous, ash.
Pirelli has been using this technology since 2002 in Italy, and also used it throughout its return to single-seater competition last year with the GP2 season. In total, Pirelli will dispose of up to 80,000 competition tires this year using this method – which has been adopted as well in other countries throughout the world.
Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “The environment has always been extremely high on our agenda at Pirelli. The way that we dispose of the tires is firm evidence of this: in fact, the road surfaces that spectators drive on to get to Grands Prix in future could well be made up of some of our recycled tires…”
Ever questioned what happens with the ten of thousand of used and new Formula 1 tires returned after each Grand Prix? Pirelli has found a way to recycle them.
As part of Pirell's “green technology” programme, the Italian company is committed to respect for the environment, having started to eliminate aromatic oils from some of its road and competition tires since 2007.
Since 1 January 2010, as required by European legislation, all of Pirell's road and motorsport tires are produced without aromatic oils.
Part of this commitment also involves the ecological disposal of the tires once they have been used. All the tires are transported back to Didcot, Great Britain after each Grand Prix, where they are finely shredded, along with other road car tires.
The shredded tires form small pellets, which are then burnt at extremely high temperatures as fuel for cement factories. The extremely high temperatures, in excess of 1400 degrees centigrade, mean that no noxious fumes are released and the only particles that remain is very fine, non-poisonous, ash.
Pirelli has been using this technology since 2002 in Italy, and also used it throughout its return to single-seater competition last year with the GP2 season. In total, Pirelli will dispose of up to 80,000 competition tires this year using this method – which has been adopted as well in other countries throughout the world.
Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “The environment has always been extremely high on our agenda at Pirelli. The way that we dispose of the tires is firm evidence of this: in fact, the road surfaces that spectators drive on to get to Grands Prix in future could well be made up of some of our recycled tires…”