Rubbercrete as a sustainable solution for recycling waste tires in concrete: An overview

Due to the rapid growth of the automotive industry, the number of waste tires has been rising dramatically each year. This increase is causing a strain on landfills, as the bulky nature of waste tires, with about 75% of their volume being void, quickly depletes available space of landfills. Furthermore, waste tires are non-biodegradable and, due to their concave shape, provide an ideal breeding ground for insects and harmful rodents, posing a public health risk. Given the limited range of products that can be produced from recycled tires, it is crucial to find economically viable solutions to recycle these tires and use them in mass production of useful materials, such as concrete. Concrete has been chosen by researchers as it is the second most consumed material per capita, after water. Researchers have produced crumb rubber from recycled tires and used it to partially replace fine aggregates in concrete, creating a material known as rubbercrete. Compared to conventional concrete, rubbercrete has better thermal and acoustic properties, is lighter in weight, and more ductile. However, it also shows a reduction in mechanical strengths. This paper provides an overview of rubbercrete, highlighting its key challenges, advantages, and properties.