MEDIA CONTACT: Sue Nichols
(517) 355-2281
or Trey Rogers
(517) 355-0214
ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTION TO SCRAP TIRES A CRUMBY IDEA
4/21/97
The solution to the growing environmental problem of scrap tires may well be found on the football field - or a golf course or a well-worn yard.
The U.S. Patent Office on April 22 is expected to issue a patent to Michigan State University to use crumb rubber as a turf topdressing.
MSU turfgrass researchers discovered that working tires into the soil -- after grinding them into crumbs -- solves a thorny disposal problem while improving grass and athletic fields that get a lot of wear and tear. More than 2 million pounds of crumb rubber from recycled tires have been produced by JaiTires Industries of Denver markets the product under the trade name Crown III dressing and holds the license to the process. This has consumed more than 1 percent of the 1996 national tire production. By 1997, that figure is expected to rise to 10 percent.
"It can work on football fields, parks, college campuses," said John "Trey" Rogers, an MSU associate professor of turfgrass science. "It cushions virtually any area of the grass that gets a lot of traffic."
The application is non-intrusive to the environment. The crumbled rubber is sprinkled on areas of grass that get a lot of traffic. In a few days, the tiny pieces of tires are working in the soil, invisible from the surface; they protect the grass roots and improve drainage.
"This is a terrific, simple method to protect turf that takes a beating," Rogers said. "We think Earth Day is a perfect day to announce the patent, since we're also helping with a great environmental problem by effectively recycling those tires."
MSU researchers have sprinkled the crumb rubber throughout the MSU campus. JaiTire has installed the project in more than 500 locations across the country.
The patent will help Michigan State ensure quality control, said Fred Erbisch, director of MSU's Office of Intellectual Property.
"We now can license it and thus can control how it is being used," Erbisch said. "This will help us make sure it's being used properly, as well as help give companies a competitive edge."
Patents also have been filed in several foreign countries.
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