PURPOSES: The new waste management policy of South Korea encourages the recycling of waste materials. One material being recycled currently is tire-derived fuel (TDF) ash. TDF is composed of shredded scrap tires and is used as fuel in power plants and industrials plants, resulting in TDF ash, which has a chemical composition similar to that of the fly ash produced from coal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the properties of an asphalt concrete mix that used TDF ash as the mineral filler. METHODS: The properties of the asphalt concrete were evaluated for different mineral filler types and contents using various measurement techniques. The fundamental physical properties of the asphalt concrete specimens such as their gradation and antistripping characteristics were measured in accordance with the KS F 3501 standard. The Marshall stability test was performed to measure the maximum load that could be supported by the specimens. The wheel tracking test was used to evaluate the rutting resistance. To investigate the moisture susceptibility of the specimens, dynamic immersion and tensile strength ratio (TSR) measurements were performed. RESULTS : The test results showed that the asphalt concrete containing TDF ash satisfied all the criteria listed in the Guide for Production and Construction of Asphalt Mixtures (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, South Korea). In addition, TDF ash exhibited better performance than that of portland cement. The Marshall stability of the asphalt concrete with TDF ash was higher than 7500 N. Further, its dynamic stability was also higher than that listed in the guide. The results of the dynamic water immersion and the TSR showed that TDF ash shows better moisture resistance than does portland cement. CONCLUSIONS : TDF ash can be effectively recycled by being used as a mineral filler in asphalt, as it exhibits desirable physical properties. The optimal TDF ash content in asphalt concrete based on this study was determined to be 5%. In future works, the research team will compare the characteristics of asphalt concrete as function of the mineral filler types.

By the end of 2012, the recycled proportion of domestic waste tires was 287,330 ton (93.9%) of the amount of waste tires discharged (305,877 ton). The waste tires have been reused for heat supply, material recycling and other purposes; the proportions are 50.1%, 20.7% and 23.1%, respectively. In the case of heat supply, waste tires are supplied to cement kiln (104,105 ton, 68%), RDF manufacture facilities (47,530 ton, 31%) and incinerators (1,923 ton, 1%). Recently, there has been an increase in the use of waste tires at power generation facilities as an auxiliary fuel. Thus, physico-chemical analysis, such as proximate analysis, elemental analysis and calorific value analysis have been carried out to evaluate potential of waste tires as an auxiliary fuel in Korea. The LHV (Lower Heating Value) of waste tires is approximately 20% higher than that of coal, at an average of 8,489 kcal/kg (7,684 ~ 10,040 kcal/kg). Meanwhile, the sulfur content is approximately 1.5wt. %, and balance of plant (e.g. pipe line, boiler tube, etc.) may be corroded by the sulfur. However, this can be prevented by construction and supplementation with refractories. In this study, TDF (Tire Derived Fuel) produced from waste tires was co-combusted with coal, and applied to the CFB (Circulating Fluidized Bed) boiler, a commercial plant of 100 tons/day in Korea. It was combined with coal, ranging from 0 to 20wt. %. In order to determine the effect on human health and the environment, gas emission such as dioxin, NOx, SOx and so on, were continuously analyzed and monitored as well as the oxygen and carbon monoxide levels to check operational issues.