At the end of the 1970s, the automotive industry was booming, leading to a major waste problem with end-life-tyres. As tyres only slowly degrade in landfill sites, an alternative disposal method was required.

During the 1980s, this idea was further developed; and in 1990, the first Genan recycling plant for end-of-life tyres became a reality in Viborg, Denmark.

Aiming to globally further the recycling of end-of-life tyres in the environmentally and economically most beneficial way, Genan expanded operations within Europe as well as overseas. Genan established its first non-European plant in Houston, Texas, USA, in 2014 –the world’s largest tyre recycling plant boasting an impressive 100,000-tonne annual input capacity.

Believing that true recycling requires processing at a level where the output substitutes virgin raw material, Genan is continually investing time and resources in improving and identifying new applications for its products.

The GENAN SAFE pellets (exhibited solution) are made from Genan rubber powder from end-of-life tyres. Pellets are manufactured through a patent-pending, mechanical process and are uniform and size-specific.

Advantages of substitution of virgin rubber with recycled rubber are:
– Always a large volume of recycled rubber available
– A very clean and uniform rubber product of high quality
– A competitive, economic advantage
– A sustainable and climate-friendly footprint

Paramount for playground surfaces is of course that children playing are as safe as possible. Especially from high fall heights, the performance of base layers is put to the test.

When testing playground surfaces constructed for an approved fall height of e.g. 3 m, surfaces with base layers made with GENAN SAFE pellets boast remarkably better results than surfaces with base layers made with traditional granulate. With GENAN SAFE pellets, HIC values below the maximum limit of 1,000 can thus be achieved with a thinner layer. Or in other words: Compared to traditional base layers made with granulate, base layers made with GENAN SAFE pellets require less material. Material savings may be up to 30% – for rubber as well as binder.