Recycled tyre project a blast with Bligh Govt support
Published Monday, 03 March, 2008 at 01:34 PM
Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
The Honourable Desley Boyle
New Chum’s Chip Tyre Pty Ltd is embarking on a new project to turn used tyres into powerful explosives thanks to an $85,000 State Government grant.
Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle and Member for Bundamba Jo-ann Miller said if the technology being developed by Chip Tyre proved successful it had the potential to find a use for some 15 million tyres that ended up in landfill across the country each year.
“The company is developing a way to use rubber granules from recycled tyres as a safer, greener replacement for diesel fuel in mining explosives,” Ms Boyle said.
“Currently when diesel is combined with ammonium nitrate and is exposed to a charge, naked flame or spark it explodes.
“Rubber and ammonium nitrate together also create an explosion but only when they’re detonated so it appears to be a much safer combination – and it has the potential to release fewer harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
“It’s also about 18 per cent cheaper to use than diesel so on a large scale savings to industry could be significant.”
Mrs Miller welcomed the funding for the New Chum business.
“This is a local business that is really looking to the future, developing smart new ideas,” Mrs Miller said.
“This is the sort of innovation I am really pleased we are able to support,” she said.
Chip Tyre CEO David Mohr said the company would now embark on a rigorous period of testing and proving its technology.
“We want to make sure we get the cocktail right so that it is completely safe to store, transport and handle and safe on the environment,” he said.
“Then we can move into a small scale pilot that could involve the processing of up to 10 tonnes of recycled tyres a day and eventually seek the cooperation and investment from industry to get a new product onto the market.
“It’s an exciting project and we are very pleased to have the support of the State Government.”
Chip Tyre is Queensland’s largest tyre recycler, currently processing about two million tyres a year. Each week it distributes up to 150 tonnes of rubber product around the country and to overseas destinations like New Zealand, Japan and Korea.
The company’s unique production process converts used tyres into a host of products including matting for playgrounds, sporting fields, equestrian tracks, infill for synthetic grass, tennis courts and golf links, and tile adhesive glues and bitumen.
Chip Tyre is one of 8 Queensland firms to share in $672,000 of State Government funding through Round Nine of the Innovation Start Up Scheme (ISUS). ISUS provides much needed commercialisation funding to Queensland-based companies wanting to bring their high tech ideas to the marketplace.
Full List of Round 9 recipients:
• Alive Technologies Pty Ltd (Arundel) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a Heart and Activity Monitor. Mr Bruce Satchwell 5563 2871
• Replikun Biotech Pty Ltd (Toowong) - $76,868 towards commercialisation and development of a cancer immunotherapy product designed to reduce the risk of post surgical tumour reoccurrence. Dr Livinia Proctor 3327 9829
• Glosstone Pty Ltd (Buderim) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a range of graffiti resistant concrete panels, pavers and wall panels. Mr Michael Kramer 0412 489 676
• Toto Solutions Pty Ltd (Woolloongabba) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a Multi-Retailer Gift Registry System for the establishment of a unique eCommerce solution for multiple retailers in the wedding gift industry. Mrs Kristy Ouwerkerk 3391 0640
• Farmacule Bioindustries Pty Ltd (Brisbane) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of ‘Trypsin’ a protein made from genetically modified tobacco plants that is much more cost effective than animal protein and used in a variety of applications such as scientific research and therapeutics. Mr David Hudson 3138 9028
• Grabba International Pty Ltd (Coopers Plains) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a device that will enable financial transactions to be carried out over a Smartphone with PIN security. Mr David Murphy 3344 6599
• eDiscovery IP Pty Ltd (Toowong) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of an automated data discovery for litigators. Ms Jo Sherman 3720 8032
• Chip Tyre Pty Ltd - $85,000 (New Chum – Ipswich) towards commercialisation and development of a process for waste tyres to be chipped and used in conventional mining explosive charges instead of diesel. Mr David Mohr 3816 2711
Ends
Media contact: 3224 2007 or 3225 1005
3 March 2008
Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle and Member for Bundamba Jo-ann Miller said if the technology being developed by Chip Tyre proved successful it had the potential to find a use for some 15 million tyres that ended up in landfill across the country each year.
“The company is developing a way to use rubber granules from recycled tyres as a safer, greener replacement for diesel fuel in mining explosives,” Ms Boyle said.
“Currently when diesel is combined with ammonium nitrate and is exposed to a charge, naked flame or spark it explodes.
“Rubber and ammonium nitrate together also create an explosion but only when they’re detonated so it appears to be a much safer combination – and it has the potential to release fewer harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
“It’s also about 18 per cent cheaper to use than diesel so on a large scale savings to industry could be significant.”
Mrs Miller welcomed the funding for the New Chum business.
“This is a local business that is really looking to the future, developing smart new ideas,” Mrs Miller said.
“This is the sort of innovation I am really pleased we are able to support,” she said.
Chip Tyre CEO David Mohr said the company would now embark on a rigorous period of testing and proving its technology.
“We want to make sure we get the cocktail right so that it is completely safe to store, transport and handle and safe on the environment,” he said.
“Then we can move into a small scale pilot that could involve the processing of up to 10 tonnes of recycled tyres a day and eventually seek the cooperation and investment from industry to get a new product onto the market.
“It’s an exciting project and we are very pleased to have the support of the State Government.”
Chip Tyre is Queensland’s largest tyre recycler, currently processing about two million tyres a year. Each week it distributes up to 150 tonnes of rubber product around the country and to overseas destinations like New Zealand, Japan and Korea.
The company’s unique production process converts used tyres into a host of products including matting for playgrounds, sporting fields, equestrian tracks, infill for synthetic grass, tennis courts and golf links, and tile adhesive glues and bitumen.
Chip Tyre is one of 8 Queensland firms to share in $672,000 of State Government funding through Round Nine of the Innovation Start Up Scheme (ISUS). ISUS provides much needed commercialisation funding to Queensland-based companies wanting to bring their high tech ideas to the marketplace.
Full List of Round 9 recipients:
• Alive Technologies Pty Ltd (Arundel) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a Heart and Activity Monitor. Mr Bruce Satchwell 5563 2871
• Replikun Biotech Pty Ltd (Toowong) - $76,868 towards commercialisation and development of a cancer immunotherapy product designed to reduce the risk of post surgical tumour reoccurrence. Dr Livinia Proctor 3327 9829
• Glosstone Pty Ltd (Buderim) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a range of graffiti resistant concrete panels, pavers and wall panels. Mr Michael Kramer 0412 489 676
• Toto Solutions Pty Ltd (Woolloongabba) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a Multi-Retailer Gift Registry System for the establishment of a unique eCommerce solution for multiple retailers in the wedding gift industry. Mrs Kristy Ouwerkerk 3391 0640
• Farmacule Bioindustries Pty Ltd (Brisbane) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of ‘Trypsin’ a protein made from genetically modified tobacco plants that is much more cost effective than animal protein and used in a variety of applications such as scientific research and therapeutics. Mr David Hudson 3138 9028
• Grabba International Pty Ltd (Coopers Plains) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of a device that will enable financial transactions to be carried out over a Smartphone with PIN security. Mr David Murphy 3344 6599
• eDiscovery IP Pty Ltd (Toowong) - $85,000 towards commercialisation and development of an automated data discovery for litigators. Ms Jo Sherman 3720 8032
• Chip Tyre Pty Ltd - $85,000 (New Chum – Ipswich) towards commercialisation and development of a process for waste tyres to be chipped and used in conventional mining explosive charges instead of diesel. Mr David Mohr 3816 2711
Ends
Media contact: 3224 2007 or 3225 1005
3 March 2008