OTR Tyre Recycling for South African Mining Operations

By:     Conor Murphy

Expert review by:     Conor Murphy

OTR tyre recycling in South Africa’s mining industry presents some of the most demanding processing challenges on the African continent. The country’s extraordinary mineral wealth, including the world’s largest known reserves of platinum group metals, significant gold deposits, substantial coal reserves, and major iron ore and manganese operations, is extracted through mining operations that collectively operate thousands of haul trucks, loaders, scrapers, and ancillary equipment. Every piece of this equipment runs on OTR tyres that wear out, fail, and require disposal.

Managing this waste stream presents challenges that are specific to the South African context: remote and semi-remote mine locations in provinces far from industrial processing centres, infrastructure quality that varies significantly between major mining hubs and more remote operations, an evolving regulatory framework that is tightening its requirements for waste management at mine sites, and a recycling industry that is developing but has not yet achieved the depth and geographic coverage of more mature markets like the UK or Australia.

The scale of OTR tyre waste from South African mining is proportional to the industry’s size. The Witwatersrand gold belt, the Bushveld Igneous Complex platinum operations in Limpopo and North West provinces, the Mpumalanga coalfields, and the Northern Cape iron ore and manganese operations all generate OTR tyre waste continuously. A single large platinum or gold mine operating a fleet of underground loaders and surface haul trucks may generate hundreds of large OTR tyres per year. Across the sector, the annual OTR tyre waste volume runs to many thousands of tonnes.

Gradeall International has supplied tyre processing equipment to South African operations for many years from its manufacturing base in Dungannon, Northern Ireland. The OTR tyre sidewall cutter, OTR tyre splitter, truck tyre sidewall cutter, and the full tyre recycling equipment range are deployed at South African mining and processing operations. With nearly 40 years of manufacturing experience and equipment operating in over 100 countries, Gradeall understands the specific demands of South African mining tyre processing.

South Africa’s Regulatory Framework for Mining Waste Tyres

South Africa’s waste management regulatory framework has strengthened significantly over the past decade, driven by the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008 (NEM:WA) and its associated regulations. Understanding this framework is essential for mining operations managing OTR tyre waste.

The National Environmental Management: Waste Act. NEM:WA provides the primary legislative framework for waste management in South Africa, establishing the licensing requirements for waste management activities, the duty of care obligations for waste generators, and the enforcement powers of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and provincial environmental authorities.

Waste Management Licensing. Facilities that store, treat, or dispose of general waste above specified quantities, or that handle hazardous waste in any quantity, require a waste management licence from the relevant provincial authority. Used tyres are classified as general waste in South Africa, but their specific properties (fire risk, storage requirements) mean that large tyre stockpiles attract regulatory attention. Mining operations accumulating significant OTR tyre volumes should confirm with their provincial authority whether their tyre storage and any on-site processing activities require licensing.

The Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations. South Africa introduced extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations in 2021 under section 18 of NEM:WA, initially covering paper and packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, and lighting. Tyres are not yet formally covered by the current EPR regulations, but the South African tyre industry has been engaged in discussions about a tyre-specific EPR or product stewardship scheme comparable to models operating in Australia and Europe. The direction of regulatory travel toward producer responsibility for tyres is clear; mining tyre generators should monitor DFFE announcements for developments.

Mine Health and Safety Act. On-site tyre management at South African mine sites is also governed by the Mine Health and Safety Act 29 of 1996 and the regulations made under it. The Chief Inspector of Mines has authority over health and safety at mine sites; tyre storage, handling, and any on-site processing activities must be managed in accordance with the mine’s health and safety management system and comply with applicable mine safety regulations.

Environmental Impact Assessment requirements. Large mining operations in South Africa operate under environmental authorisations granted under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). These authorisations typically include conditions on waste management, and the management of OTR tyre waste may be addressed in the environmental management programme (EMPr) associated with the authorisation. Mines should confirm that their tyre waste management approach is consistent with their environmental authorisation conditions.

The Physical Challenge of South African Mining OTR Tyre Recycling

South Africa’s mining operations span a range of scales and tyre sizes, from the large surface operations in the Northern Cape using the biggest haul trucks in the country to underground hard-rock mining in the Witwatersrand and Bushveld where loader tyres are substantial but smaller than surface haul truck fitments.

Surface open-cast and open-pit operations. The large surface iron ore and manganese mines in the Northern Cape, and some of the larger coal operations in Mpumalanga, use haul trucks with OTR tyres in the 49-inch to 63-inch rim diameter range. These tyres are among the largest produced, weighing from 900 kg to over 5,000 kg each. Processing these tyres on-site requires equipment specifically rated for their dimensions and structural strength.

Underground mining equipment. South Africa’s gold and platinum mining is predominantly underground, with load-haul-dump (LHD) machines, underground trucks, and drilling equipment using OTR tyres in smaller but still substantial sizes. Underground LHD tyres in the 1800R25 to 2100R35 range weigh 200 to 600 kg each and require different processing approaches from surface haul truck tyres.

Platinum and chrome operations. The Bushveld Igneous Complex operations in Limpopo, North West, and Mpumalanga provinces are among the world’s largest mining operations by geographic extent. The sheer number of equipment units across multiple shafts and opencast sections at the large platinum producers generates continuous OTR tyre waste that requires systematic management.

On-Site Processing: Reducing Volume at the Mine

For South African mines remote from processing centres, on-site volume reduction through Gradeall’s OTR tyre processing equipment transforms the logistics of OTR tyre management from a chronic accumulation problem into a manageable, documented waste stream.

The OTR tyre sidewall cutter. Gradeall’s OTR tyre sidewall cutter removes the sidewalls from large OTR tyres, separating the relatively flexible sidewall sections from the heavier steel-reinforced tread band. For surface haul truck tyres at South African open-cast operations, sidewall cutting is the essential first step in volume reduction; a whole intact large OTR tyre is effectively impossible to transport efficiently without prior size reduction.

The sidewall cutter operates hydraulically, applying the cutting force needed to penetrate the multi-layer construction of large OTR tyres. For the very large tyres from 240-tonne class haul trucks, the cutting force requirements are substantial; equipment must be rated for the specific tyre sizes in the mine’s fleet. Gradeall’s technical team confirms equipment suitability for specific tyre size ranges before purchase.

The OTR tyre splitter. Following sidewall cutting, Gradeall’s OTR tyre splitter further reduces the tread band section into manageable pieces. The combination of sidewall cutting and splitting reduces a large OTR tyre from an object that might occupy the majority of a flatbed trailer to a set of sections that can be stacked efficiently, transported economically, and processed by downstream shredding or crumb rubber production equipment.

Underground tyre processing. Underground mining tyres, while smaller than surface haul truck tyres, still require appropriate processing equipment. The truck tyre sidewall cutter handles the larger underground mining equipment tyre sizes that fall within its rated range. For tyre sizes at the boundary between truck and OTR equipment, confirm the specific tyre dimensions against equipment specifications with Gradeall.

Processing Routes Available in South Africa

After on-site size reduction, processed OTR tyre sections require an onward processing route. The options available in South Africa reflect the current state of the country’s tyre recycling industry.

Crumb rubber production. South Africa has a crumb rubber production industry, concentrated primarily in Gauteng and the Western Cape, that processes used tyres into rubber granulate for sports surfaces, playground safety surfacing, rubber-modified asphalt, and rubber products manufacture. OTR tyre sections processed to the appropriate chip size can be fed into crumb rubber production lines. The transport logistics from remote mining provinces to crumb rubber facilities in the economic centres are a significant cost factor that on-site volume reduction through cutting and splitting helps to address.

Rubber-modified asphalt. South Africa has been exploring rubber-modified asphalt as a road surfacing application for crumb rubber, with several demonstration projects and growing interest from the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) and provincial road agencies. Market development in this area is positive for the long-term demand for crumb rubber from South African tyre recycling operations.

Civil engineering applications. Tyre bales for civil engineering use in South Africa are at an earlier stage of market development than in the UK. There is no South African national standard equivalent to PAS 108, but engineering assessment of tyre bale properties using PAS 108 as a reference document is technically sound. As awareness of tyre bale civil engineering applications grows among South African geotechnical engineers, the market for bales from passenger car tyre processing operations should develop.

Energy recovery. South Africa’s cement industry, including major producers operating kilns in Limpopo, Gauteng, and the Western Cape, has used tyre-derived fuel as a coal substitute in kiln operations. The high calorific value of tyre rubber makes it attractive as a supplementary fuel in the energy-intensive cement clinker production process.

Operational Considerations for South African Mine Sites

South African mine sites present specific operational conditions that affect equipment specification and deployment planning.

Power supply. South Africa’s electricity supply challenges, including load shedding managed by Eskom, create operational considerations for electrically powered processing equipment. Equipment at mine sites typically benefits from connection to the mine’s own power infrastructure, which may have generator backup that maintains supply during grid load shedding. Confirm power supply reliability and backup arrangements at the proposed equipment installation point before finalising the specification.

Ambient conditions. South African mining provinces experience a range of climate conditions. The Mpumalanga and Limpopo highveld regions experience warm summers and cool to cold winters, with frost possible at elevation. The Northern Cape is significantly hotter and drier. Equipment specification should account for the specific ambient conditions at the mine site, particularly regarding hydraulic fluid specification and electrical enclosure thermal management.

Local content and procurement. South Africa’s Mining Charter and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) framework create local content and procurement requirements for South African mining operations. Mining companies assessing capital equipment procurement should confirm the B-BBEE implications of imported equipment purchases with their procurement and compliance teams.

“South Africa’s mining sector generates OTR tyre volumes that represent both a significant waste management challenge and a genuine resource recovery opportunity,” says Conor Murphy, Director of Gradeall International. “Our equipment has been operating in South Africa for many years, and we understand the specific conditions that affect how it performs and how it needs to be maintained in this environment. The combination of on-site volume reduction with our OTR cutting and splitting equipment and well-organised collection to downstream processors is the practical answer for most South African mining operations.”

Contact Gradeall International for OTR tyre processing equipment for South African mining operations.

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