Nonmetalics

U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp. (USPL), Boca Raton, Fla., has announced that its Engineered Products group has signed new contracts to supply recycled composite railroad ties to the New York Transit Authority and San Francisco Bay Area Transit Authority.

Mark Alsentzer, USPL’s CEO, says, "We are excited that transit authorities throughout the country continue to choose Duratie as a viable and value-added replacement to traditional railroad ties, such as wood, steel or concrete. Our composite railroad ties have significant benefits, including reduced maintenance and a life expectancy many times that of wood."

DuraTie railroad ties are made of recycled plastic and fiberglass for durability and strength.

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association is developing specifications for plastic composite railroad ties. Wood ties are replaced in the United States at a rate of approximately 10 million to 15 million ties annually.

General Motors has approved the Vyteen PC135 recycled resin engineered by the Lavergne Group for its GNP.PC.018R specification, which has replaced the virgin specification GMP.PC.001.

According to the Lavergne Group, which is based in Ville d’Anjou, Quebec, Canada, Vyteen PC135 is created using post-consumer five-gallon polycarbonate water bottles. GM uses the regenerated polycarbonate resin to produce metalized taillamp assemblies. The Vyteen PC135 is injection molded to produce the back frame of the GM taillights.

Lavergene reports that the Vyteen PC135, which contains more than 50 percent post-consumer polycarbonate, has an excellent balance of stiffness and impact resistance. The material offers high heat resistance as well.

Several organizations have met to discuss expanding the use of rubber-modified asphalt in road construction.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Recycled Rubber Topical Group of the American Chemical Society’s Rubber Division hosted the forum. Groups in attendance included the Asphalt Institute, the National Center for Asphalt Technology, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Rubber Pavements Association and the Institute of Recycling Industries.

Participants discussed approaches to increase the use of rubber-modified asphalt. The groups also identified the obstacles limiting its use, surveyed existing resources and evaluated the need for further technical input.

RMA Senior Technical Director Michael Blumenthal says, "We are hopeful that this forum will be the start of a useful project to educate state transportation leaders that will result not only in improved road surfaces, but also another method of taking old, worn-out tires and putting them to good use."

GroundScape Technologies, Brooklyn Heights, Ohio, has partnered with Golden Scrap Tire Co., Ballico, Calif., to produce GroundScape™ Kids and GroundScape™ Landscape, which are made from shredded recycled tire rubber.

GroundScape Kids is a safety surface product used on playgrounds, while GroundScape Landscape is a low-maintenance, natural-looking groundcover for commercial and residential landscaping.

Golden Scrap Tire, a subsidiary of Golden By-Products Inc., has been licensed to recycle scrap tires in California since 1997.

"We are fortunate to be able to team up with such an experienced recycling operation in California," Paul Burke, president of GroundScape Technologies, says.

Additional information on GroundScape™ Kids or GroundScape™ Landscape is available online at www.groundscape.com.