Scrap Tire News

STN June 2013 • 11 torch-applied roofing membrane, MB Technology president Bahman Behbehani said. Behbehani credits the impetus behind EcoTorch to the com- pany's ongoing relationship with customers and to the sup- port of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) grant program. "Several years ago we noticed many or our customers were becoming interested in green or recycled products, espe- cially architects and designers involved with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation, " Behbehani said. At the same time, CalRecycle was seeking grant candidates for its Tire Business As- sistance Program (TBAP). MB Technology proposed a research project to work with architects and designers to formulate a torch roofing product for LEED certified Green Building construction, Behbehani said. "The TBAP grant gave us the opportunity to research and test the potential for using recycled tire rubber in a roofing product," he said. Using a second TBAP grant, MB concentrated on develop- ing a better quality torch-applied roofing membrane with recycled content that was user friendly, had environmental benefits and that roofing contractors could purchase as an over-the counter commodity at a competitive price. "We wanted to bring the product directly to contractors," Beh- behani said. So far the investment has paid off. "We're selling more EcoTorch product than some of our other roofing," Behbehani said." Contractors can get a torch roofing product that performs better, costs about the same as conventional roofing and is green. It lets them differenti- ate their company from the competition." New Generation continued from page 1.. "It's our first environmentally-friendly product", Behbe- hani said. "With every two rolls of EcoTorch we produce, we keep two tires out of the landfill." So far this year MB Technology has used 60,000 pounds of recycled tire rubber (about 6,000 tires) for Eco Torch roofing. To promote the new roofing product, MB Technology has launched a demo tour that has taken its EcoTorch roofing team to Washington and Arizona, Behbehani said. More EcoTorch demonstrations are planned in the coming weeks. Starting with its chemistry, EcoTorch takes all the advan- tages of other torch applied bituminous membranes and improves them, Behbehani said. EcoTorch is formulated with asphalt modified with styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) and recycled tire rubber making it especially pliable and durable. The addition of recycled tire rubber to asphalt improves low temperature flexibility and fatigue resis- tance, makes the membrane easier to apply and creates better adhesion on end and side laps. This, along with superior metal adhe- sion, means fewer call backs, Behbehani said. Hundreds of hours of research and development allowed MB scientists to design EcoTorch with the ability to be walked on while being installed, Behbehani said. " This makes it easier for installers to apply the EcoTorch roof membrane using a forward motion application process with no re-training," he said. It's the same installation technique contractors already use when laying conventional roofing membranes. EcoTorch is available in seven different shingle blends/ solid colors and can be custom colored for larger runs of 100 rolls or more. MB Technology manufactures the EcoTorch and six other roofing products at its 64,000 sq.ft. produc- tion facility in Fresno, California. "Being located less than 500 miles from projects in California, Las Vegas, and Reno, Nevada qualifies us for Leed credit," Behbehani said. u NC Awards Grants Recycled rubber wheel manufacturer among recipients The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Re- sources (DENR) has awarded 43 companies a total of $1.1 million through the agency's recycling business develop- ment grants. Recycled rubber products manufacturer, Roll-Tech Molding Products, received a $28,000 grant which it plans to use to purchase 23 molds and eliminate its imports from China, company owner Patrice Bertrand said. With the additional molds, Roll-Tech expects to increase production and bring on four new employees later this year. Roll-Tech manufactures wheels for hand trucks, dollies, trash cans, and for material handling carts, using a rubber and plastic compound derived from recycled tire rubber and recycled plastic scrap, Bertrand said. Bertrand, who founded the company in Hickory, NC in 1995, said he's had to rely on imports from China in recent years to meet demand for the wheels. "We just didn't have enough molds to fill large orders," Bertrand said. Now the new mold will give Roll-Tech capacity to produce another 350,000 wheels a year, effectively allowing the company to cut its China imports, Bertrand said. To meet production, Roll-Tech will use an additional 1.6 million pounds of recycled rubber a year. Roll-Tech cur- rently uses 6 million pounds a year of recycled rubber, Bertrand said. u Visit us on the Web: www.scraptirenews.com