Luis Eduardo Valdes Cardenas
Andrea Medrano
Universidad Externado de Colombia
Gustavo A Yepes López
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From the urgent need that is observed in Barrancabermeja, a small city that has high levels of landscape pollution and deposits where diseases proliferate. Five engineers decide to integrate their knowledge and experience to achieve the transformation of pneumatic materials out of use in order to minimize the impacts of pollution and at the same time obtain commercial products establishing a demand in the market. After much research and investment today they have managed to establish 3 base products.
Today, TIREGOD SAS is a company dedicated to the production of rubber forms from recycled tires, as a result, a series of products that become raw materials are used in different fields of the regional and national industry. Given the structure of the mechanical process 3 main products are obtained. Those products are cataloged as raw materials and used for other manufacturing or production processes, closing the life cycle of the tire, without generating waste throughout the recycling process.
A major health problem for tropical climate zones which, government agencies must face is the proliferation of mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti, dengue and yellow fever transmitters. A source of incubation of these animals is the used tires in which rainwater remains stored. This is why health entities must make great efforts to provide a timely solution in order to eradicate batches of Tires Out of Use (“TOU” or in Spanish: Neumáticos Fuera de Uso “NFU”) and this suppression is not easy. In Barrancabermeja, the Public Health Surveillance System, SIVIGILA, in the ninth epidemiological week, at the cut-off of March 2, 2018, 12 cases of Dengue were reported. In the same period of 2019 the reported cases are 71, which means, this disease has increased by 86%. There are now more than 600 people reported with diseases associated with the spread of pests and mosquitoes.
This, among others, was one of the main causes that inspired five entrepreneurs of Barrancabermeja city to create, what from 2017 was consolidated as TIREGOD SAS, a company aimed to improve the final disposal of non-hazardous waste (NFU-Out of Use Tires) and at the same time to turn this work into a source of employment that would contribute to the improvement of people's life quality. Sergio Antonio Pava Araque, current Manager of the company stated: “At first, in the Municipality of Barrancabermeja (located in Santander, Colombia), we started with the idea of converting waste (NFU) into a source of value. Keeping in mind that NFU under inappropriate disposable conditions affects city landscapes, acts as a source of pest propagation, and undoubtedly the misuse of the NFU attempts against the environment, all the mentioned problems became the motivation to found TIREGOD SAS. ”We really obtain raw materials based on the effective recycling of the NFUs in a responsible and friendly way with the environment, people and the city’s landscape. We provide to the marks and users of tires a tool to make an optimum management of this type of waste, and at the same time generate products of added value and with profitability for the sustainability of the company.
The founders of TIREGOD SAS saw the opportunity to achieve their goal by addressing one of the most critical global environmental problems: "The tires out of use and their incorrect final disposal. It is clear that the tires are so harmful to our planet with respect to many aspects such as: its expensive manufacturing process (half a barrel of crude oil is used to make a truck tire), the high cost of recycling and disposal, the environmental pollution generated by not being recycled properly and the proliferation of diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika" said company manager Sergio Pava
The overall impact of TIREGOD SAS has a broad range: first, it reduces waste deposits, second, creates spaces for generating environmental awareness and safety, third, strengthens the circular economy, fourth, fosters a new wave of sustainable and innovative ideas in developing countries and lastly, reduces the breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry zika, dengue and other diseases. TIREGOD SAS "For a better world".
Sergio Pava; company manager said: "It is estimated that Barrancabermeja, on average, generates 61,195 tires used in motor vehicles, which represents 6.8 tons of NFU and 136,940 motorcycle tires equivalent to 45.6 tons, the recycling plant has an installed capacity to meet all of the demand. The plant is designed for the production of 1 to 2 tons / hour of PTO (50 mm / 2 inches), or 4 to 5 tons of granulated rubber (different meshes).
One product obtained with the transformation process of tires, is used for street paving, for this, the amount of NFU required to pave one square meter (m2) - according to the percentage of GRC (tire recycled rubber) present in the formulation of a modified rubber asphalt - is from 10 to 20% by weight percentage. We can deduce that per each 1000 kilos of asphalt around 8 tires size No. 22.5 should be used (approximate calculation - may vary depending on the size of the tire)."
From the Global Objectives of the UN; TIREGOD SAS aims to comply with numbers 3- health and well-being, 7- accessible and non-polluting energy, 9- Industry Innovation and Infrastructure and 11- Sustainable cities and communities.
TIREGOD SAS has reevaluated and adapted the entire mechanical system for NFU treatment and has begun the process of expansion, dissemination and environmental awareness.
TIREGOD SAS has become a pioneer in Barrancabermeja in terms of recycling and sustainable practices and is projected as one of the leading suppliers of rubber forms in the region.
TIREGOD SAS generates incomes from the sale of its products. The commitment and entrepreneurship inside the region make the company very competitive, obtaining raw material and selling in the same region that leads to cheaper prices than similar products nationwide, reducing logistics and management costs of the products.
When interviewing the company's Manager regarding the economic projections, Engineer Sergio Antonio Pava responded: “Based on the research of consumption needs of rubber products obtained from used tires, only in Barrancabermeja it was estimated a need for 202 tons of GCR (30 to 50 mesh recycled tire rubber) monthly. An average growth projection of 28% is expected. This estimation does not include sales of products outside the region nor the needs of industries such as rubber soles or maintenance of sports scenarios, among others. Therefore, it is estimated that sales, according to the current needs already established with customers in the region, will have a projection in the first year of operations of 202,500kilos of rubber granules, equivalent to 202 tons, and 37,800 kilos of steel (monthly), generating revenues of $ 182,000,000 for the first year of operations. It is important to keep in mind that the size of the rubber granules influences the price variation (kg) on the sale price. ”
TIREGOD SAS promotes hiring labor in the region. It also raises awareness in the care of the environment, reduces breeding grounds of disease bearing insects, prevents degradation due to landscape pollution and by giving the NFU proper management, reusable products are obtained contributing to environmental sustainability.
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TIREGOD SAS is a company dedicated to the production of rubber forms from recycled tires, as a result, a series of products that become raw materials are used in different fields of the regional and national industry. Given the structure of the mechanical process 3 main products are obtained. Those products are cataloged as raw materials and used for other manufacturing or production processes, closing the life cycle of the tire, without generating waste throughout the recycling process.