Plasma could turn old tyres into new

Blasting old tyres with super-hot gas offers a way to turn them back into new ones, say UK researchers. This would tackle one of the world's biggest waste disposal problems.

Old tyres are piling up in landfill across the world because they are so difficult to dispose of, or reuse. The options for recycling are limited because the rubber used is vulcanised, meaning it has been combined with another chemical, usually sulphur, to improve its overall strength and durability.

But vulcanised rubber does not melt, and is therefore difficult to reform and reuse. So many tyres are simply dumped in landfill, a process that releases heavy metals and other pollutants and risks starting dirty, long-burning fires.