RUCONBAR

INNOVATIVE NOISE PROTECTION SOLUTION

MADE OF RECYCLED WASTE TYRES
University of Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering
Zagreb, CROATIA

Motivation - legislation
NOISE

WASTE

EU
Directive
2002/49/EC
- assessment
of
Large
investments
in road
constructionand
aremanagement
planned
environmental noise
Noise assessed as one of the main environmental problems
EU Transportatio Strategy White paper - European transport
All roads and railways planned for construction or
policy for 2010: time to decide
rehabilitation have to include noise protection system
The Green Paper on Noise Pollution (COM(96)540)
Landfill
Directive
(1999/31/EC)
From 2006
EU Directive
clearly prohibits any kind of
disposal of Strategy
waste tyres
environment
Community
for in
Waste
Management (COM (96)399)
Obligatory Directive
to follow on
waste
management
hierarchy:
Framework
Waste
(91/156/EEC)
prevention,
Directive
2008/98/EC legislative framework for the
reuse,
handling
of waste in the Community
recycling
into other
forms of(COM
rubber,
End
of Life Vehicle
Directive
(97)358)
recovery (converting the scrap tyres into fuel)
Waste
incineration directive (2000/78/EC)
Quantity
wasteon
tyres
available
recycling significantly
1995
WhiteofPaper
Making
Wastefor
Work
increased

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Motivation - need
Planned
construction/
upgrading/
reconstruction
Future demands
for noise
protection
until 2014 of roads and
railways (length in km) until 2014

Roads [km]
Country

Railways [km]

Highways

Other
roads

Total

Construction

Rehabilitation

Upgrading

Modernisation

Total

Albania

100

24

124

70

37

107

Bosnia&Herzegovina

41

34

75

546

17

200

217

404

313

148

Bulgaria
Croatia

ROADS
473
73

RAILWAYS
0

147

603

750

267

20

117

FYR Macedonia

74

74

98

215

Kosovo

89

89

148

44

58

102

192

Romania

237

336

573

488

488

Serbia

52

16

68

156

156

Slovenia

163

137

299

44

109

35

188

TOTAL

1419

1280

2699

328

976

709

200

2213

224 940 m2

584
Montenegro

100 m2

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

363 240 m2

0 010 m2192
1 628

Present state
Constructed noise barriers in Croatia until 2007

120.000 m2 x 150 EUR/m2 = 19.500.000 EUR

Amount of constructed barriers, %

35
29

30
25

Imported material: 72%

20

19

20

15
15
10

9
5
3

5
0
Wood fiber

Aluminum

Wood

Transparent Embankment

Gabion

Other

concrete
Type of noise barrier

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Idea - using lightweight concrete

Zadar II Gaenica (2007)
aprox. 5.000 m2

AC Split - Dubrovnik (2008)

aprox. 15.000 m2

Concrete bearing layer

Bypass city of Rijeka (2009)

aprox. 12.000 m2

Concrete column

Absorbing layer lightweight concrete

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Absorption layer alternatives

Lightweight concrete with
RUBBER GRANULES

Waste tyres disposed

in the environment

Recycling

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Clean environment
6

Idea development

August 2008.
Concept design for noise
protection of Zagreb ZOO

Mixture composition (%)

Cement

Water

Air

Mineral admixture

Until September, 2009.

Chemical admixture

Waste

Non renewable resource

Content (%)

0,75
0,5

0,25
0

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Compressive strenght (MPa)

3 day

7 day

January, 2010.
rd stage (Mixtures: M7-M10): After required level of
compressive strenght was achieved futher research
was directed in order to produce material with similar
properties but econmically more acceptable.

3,5

March, 2010.

2,5
2

1,5
1

th stage (Mixtures: M11-M16): At this stage the

goal was to prepare mixtures which could
contain as much as possible waste products.
The obtained results were good, but not enough
to justify higher price of final product.

0,5

May, 2010.

0
1

stage

2nd stage

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

5th stage

4th stage

3rd stage

1,2

Absorption coefficient,

October, 2009.
nd stage (Mixtures: M0-M6): This stage was focused on
accomplishing good bond between cement matrix and
rubber as important factor for achieving higher
compressive strengths an suitable noise protection.

18

Mechanical properties

1st

st stage (no mixtures): Preparatory research on possible application of

waste tyres in concrete included review of all available literature. Conducted
investigation showed that rubber particles have potential in fields of noise
protection barriers, creating both ecologic but also economic benefit.

Acoustical properties

1,0

th stage (Mixtures: M17-M18): After all

conducted research it was decided to select
two optimum mixtures and use them for
production of protype in order to achieve
results which could then be consideredas
representative for the product.

0,8

0,6
0,4
0,2
0,0
0,8

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

1,25

1,6

2,5

3,15

6,3

Frequency, kHz

RUCONBAR Rubberized noise concrete barriers

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Project team
HIGHER EDUCATION AND
RESEARCH INSTITUTION
Faculty of Civil
Engineering, Zagreb

Development of the
idea
Preliminary testing
during optimisation
Scientific, expert and
technical support

SMALL-MEDIUM
ENTERPRISE
Beton Luko
Gumiimpex

CIVIL ENGINEERING
INSTITUTE
Institute IGH

Testing the soundinsulation and

absorption properties
Providing certificate
and quality assurance

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Production and
installation of
prototype
Ensuring supply of
rubber granules

RUCONBAR prototype

RUCONBAR presents innovative, ecological and

sustainable building product used for reduction of
noise pollution on infrastructures
Concrete column
Bearing layer

Absorbing layer with

rubber granules

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Stone
aggregate
Rubber
granules

LCA including energy balance and CO2eq

emissions

RUCONBAR Rubberized noise concrete barriers

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

10

Comparison of environmental impact

1 km of 3 m high noise barrier

=
66,3 t of recycled tyres
=
7800 end of life tyres
RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

11

Comparison with other noise barriers

Aspect

RUCONBAR
Rubber
concrete

Expanded
clay
concrete

Wood fibre
concrete

Wood

Plexiglas

Aluminium

Absorption[1]

Isolation[2]

Aesthetics[3]

Durability[4]

Stability[5]

Maintenance[6]

Renewable[7]

Recycled[8]

Reuse[9]

Price[10]

4.6

3.9

4.1

3.2

2.4

3.5

Property

Functional

Ecologic
Economic

Total grade
[1]Noise

absorption: 5 A3 (8 11 dB), 4 A2 (4 7 dB), 3 A1 (< 4 dB

Sound isolation: 5 B3 (> 24 dB), 4 B2 (15 24 dB), 3 B1 (< 15 dB)
[3] Aesthetic impact in environment: 5 acceptable, 3 partially acceptable, 1 hardly acceptable
[4] Durability: 5 > 40 years, 4 30 - 40 years, 3 20 - 30 years, 2 10 - 20 years, 1 < 10 years
[5] Stability, resistance on static, dynamic and impact load: 5 high, 3 acceptable, 1 low
[6] Maintenance: 5 No maintenance needed, 3 Periodic maintenance, 1 Regularly maintenance
[7] Use of renewable resources: 5 80 - 100 %, 4 60 - 80 %, 3 40 - 60 %, 2 20 40 %, 1 0 20 %
[8] Use of recycled resources: 5 40 - 50 %, 4 30 - 40 %, 3 20 - 30 %, 2 10 - 20 %, 1 0 - 10 %
[9] Reuse of the product: 5 100 % reusable, 4 75 %, 3 50 %, 2 25 %, 1 0 %
[10] Price of panels: 5 90 - 105 /m2, 4 105 - 115 /m2, 3 115 - 130 /m2, 2 130 - 150 /m2, 1 > 150 /m2
[2]

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

12

Transferability and replication

RUCONBAR is widely applicable in all EU

countries that have need for:
waste tyres management,
demand for noise protection barriers
producer
of both recycled rubber
granules
and
pre-cast
concrete
elements.
Croatia has been considered as nucleus
market for RUCONBAR
Transferability and replication to the
neighbouring countries assured by
licensing of know-how and innovative
production process

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

13

Dissemination

Lakui, Stjepan; Bjegovi, Dubravka; Barievi, Ana; Haladin, Ivo Ekoloke betonske barijere
za zatitu od buke - ECOBAR // Projektiranje prometne infrastrukture / Lakui, Stjepan (ur.)
Zagreb : Graevinski fakultet Sveuilita u Zagrebu, Zavod za prometnice, 2011. Str. 7-30.
Lakui, Stjepan Sinergijom znanja sveuilita i gospodarstva moe se postii napredak. //
eljeznice 21 : struni asopis inenjera i tehniara Hrvatskih eljeznica. 10 (2011) , 3; 1-2
Bjegovi, Dubravka; Lakui, Stjepan; Serdar, Marijana; Barievi, Ana.
ECOBAR - Betonske barijere za zatitu od buke - inovativno rjeenje // Ekoloki problemi
prometnog razvoja / Steiner, Sanja (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti,
2011. 123-131

Presenting at the major civil engineering and infrastructural conferences

and in journals
PROMOTING THE PRODUCT
RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

14

Awards and recognition

Greenovation 2012
Award for
developing green
business in Croatia

ARCA PRIX
10th international
innovation fair
ARCA 2012, Zagreb

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

CEMEX Building
award 2015
Sustainable building
Noise protection near
tool stop for Krk
island

15

Awards and recognition

Australia
India
Iran
Ukraine
France
Switzerland
Slovenia
Serbia
BiH
Canada
Romania
Bulgaria
Turkey
Lithuania
Hungary
South Africa
Saudi Arabia
Singapore

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

Current projects

Noise protection of settlement Scott on D102, near tool both for Krk island
Noise protection on railway line Otarije
Knin Split, subsection Perui Graac
Noise protection on Osijek ring road
Noise protection near Jakusevac junction on
Zagreb Sisak Highway

RUCONBAR innovative noise protection solution made of recycled waste tyres

17

Thank you for your attention!

RUCONBAR
Rubberized concrete noise barriers
www.ruconbar.com
ruconbar@grad.hr