A review of environmental impacts and environmental applications of shredded scrap tires

Scrap tires shredded into small pieces (called "chips") alone or mixed with soil can have properties favorable to civil and environmental engineering applications. Although the reuse of scrap tires has become more common, questions regarding environmental suitability still persist, particularly the potential impact on ground and surface waters and aquatic life due to leaching. In contrast to this concern on contamination of the environment, the significant sorption capacity of tire material renders it a potential material for environmental protection and remediation when in contact with contaminated waters and leachate. This paper provides a review of the leaching characteristics of scrap tire chips as well as their sorption capacity that can be used in environmental applications based on the author's own research and the available literature.