KUCHING: Sarawak researchers have intensified their efforts to utilise recycled tyre rubber (RTR) in the road construction industry, providing a solution for the stockpile of old tyres that needs to be disposed of.
According to Lester Silas Tirau, a research engineer from Faculty of Engineering Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), recycled tyre rubber (RTR) could be efficiently used in road construction, reducing wastage and dependency on costly crushed granite stone.
“It is the right time,” Lester said, responding to a recent decision by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to abolish the Sales and Services Tax (SST) for imported tyres.
“Given careful studies and clear guidelines done by authorities such as the Public Works Department (JKR) and local councils, implementation of RTR mixture on a certain stretch of road in Kuching that acts as trial lay could be done as a preliminary stage in research,” Lester added.
According to him, the abolishment of SST for imported tyres would increase the demand for used tyres and create a huge stock of old tyres that needed to be disposed of.
He suggested that a close collaboration between researchers and industry experts would be necessary to find ways to recycle old tyres and prevent them from becoming a safety hazard or adding to the waste disposal volume for landfills.
“Many cities and districts in Sarawak have the potential to provide a significant amount of recycled tyres.
“For instance, an observation conducted in Lawas, Sarawak, has shown that there are large numbers of old tyres that are being abandoned instead of being retreaded and reused,” Lester told New Sarawak Tribune on Friday (Feb 17).
“The abundance of discarded tyres can benefit both those who want to dispose of them and those who use them for research. Moreover, using RTR in road construction can create numerous job and market opportunities, as the old tyres must be processed before they can be fully utilised, which requires more manpower and machines.”
“While RTR has been used in road construction for decades, its usage has its own drawbacks.
“One of them is the high processing cost to turn the recycled tyre into a more usable material form such as rubber powder or rubber strips form, which leads to the increment of the cost of materials,” Lester explained.
In the ongoing efforts to utilise RTR in road constructions, there has been a significant amount of local research conducted in Malaysia.
One of the leading research groups in this area is the Highway and Traffic Group at Unimas Department of Civil Engineering led by deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation) Prof Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim.
“We are currently conducting extensive studies on various types of recycled materials such as waste tyres, posslites (lime-treated sludge), and even river gravel.
“Our findings so far have been promising, and we believe that RTR has the potential to be a viable alternative to traditional construction materials,” added Lester.
“Research funding is crucial for higher institutions to develop a proper Premix Design that incorporates RTR, and we hope that the Sarawak government or private entities can provide the necessary support.”
Moreover, JKR Central Material Laboratory (CML) in Stutong is “currently conducting research on pavement structure and is equipped with high-end facilities and equipment to support research activities,” Lester added.
Looking to the future, developing a recycled rubber mixture plant for premix could “contribute as a new economic element that directly benefits the road and transportation infrastructure,” he concluded.
