Cyclus är ett colombianskt bolag som designar och marknadsför produkter gjorda av återvunna bildäck och de har mottagit flera priser för sina design. Förutom utmärk form är deras design också ett bra exempel på hur attraktiva produkter man kan skapa från återvunna material.

Cyclus designade ryggsäcken Pangolin’s namn kommer från det engelska ordet för myrkott och den är skapad med myrkottens speciella kroppsskydd som förebild. Ryggsäckens utsida är gjord av utskurna bildäck som har formats så att de efterliknar myrkottens fjäll. Dessa har sedan sytts ihop så att de överlappar varandra och efterliknar myrkotten. 

Själva myrkotten är ett väldigt intressant djur. Inte konstigt att den nu har blivit inspiration för Cyclus. Myrkottens kropp täcks av fjäll och dess svenska namn syftar på likheten med gran- och tallkottar. Myrkotten äter främst myror och termiter som den fångar med sin klibbiga tunga. Dess framben är utrustade med starka klor som myrkotten använder för att riva bort träflisor och komma åt föda.

Källor

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrkottar

Bilder från:

http://www.cyclus.com.co/magento/us-store/us/backpacks/pangolin.html

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steppenschuppentier2.jpg

Nyligen fick jag en äldre (November 2011) exemplar av tidningen Auto & Trucking Atlantic På sidan 8 Jay Larue diskuterar återvinning av uttjänta däck från ett amerikansk perspektiv.

Det är ganska slående att både här och USA bilägarna måste betala en miljöavgift för däck. Medan amerikanerna kallar det för avgift för lagring av avfall kallas det avgift för insamling av däck i Sverige. Artikelförfattare beskriver några kända modell för hantering av gamla däck i USA. Från artikeln är omöjligt att veta hur mycket av insamlade däck går till återvinning.

i Sverige är situation känt men ganska dyster. Runt 50% av alla insamlade uttjänta däck går till "energi återvinning" dvs bränns i cementfabriker eller dylikt. Att man återvinner bara en bråkdel av all energi man förbrukade vid tillverkning av däck säger ingen. Dessutom är "energi återvinning" destruktiv och miljöförstorande verksamhet.  Runt 20% av gamla däck klipps sönder och används vid vägbygge istället för sten och grus. Bara 15% är riktig återvinning där man producerar nya produkter av gamla däck.

Ake Paulsson, CEO of Ecorub AB presented losses of – 0,17 million Swedish Krona for the first quarter of 2012. Net sales for the same period was humble 1.8 million Swedish Krona.

Ecorub AB losing money year after year. In 2011 Ecorub AB loosed -1,9 million Swedish Krona. Nett sales in 2011 reached 6,2 million Swedish Krona.

The problems of EcoRub AB are accumulating. The losses from 2011 and the first quarter of 2012 are over 2 million Swedish Krona. Taking earlier years in account the situation is much more critical.

As Ecorub is losing the money for every year and losses to the company grow it is the time for refinancing. Only a transfusion of fresh money will keep the company alive.  Ecorub AB is now trying to find a new financially strong partner (in order to survive).

Läste i DN att ny forskning visar att dubbdäck dödar mellan 30 och 40 människor om året i Stockholm.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/dubbdack-utgor-halsofara

Det är säkert sant men odubbade (sk friktionsdäck) dödar också kanske ännu fler. Isen har ingen friktion. Om någon är i faran så säger man att "man är ute på hal is". Dubbdäck räddar liv. Dubbdäck minskar risken för dödsolyckor med personbilar på vinterväglag med 42 procent jämfört med odubbade vinterdäck visar en annan studie.

Vem ska man tro på?

Ake Paulsson, CEO presented a loss of 0.7 million Swedish Krona for the first half of 2011. Net sales for the period 2.3 million. The problems of EcoRub AB are growing as accumulated losses for 2010 and the first half of 2011 reach 3.6 million Swedish Krona. Because of the problems have EcoRub shares share prices dropped sharply to 2.7 SEK, which is only 50% of the maximum share value at the
beginning of the year.

Here are some financial results according to the financial data on Ecorub AB available from Swedish financial information (Upplysnings Centralen) www.allabolag.se.

Ecorub AB financial results for 2008 were also in the red (losses 1,4 million Swedish Krona). For the 2009 the result was slightly positiv (0.15 million Swedish Krona).

Accumulated losses for 2008 - first half of 2011 are 4.9 million Swedish Krona.

As Ecorub is keep losing money and losses to the company grow shareholders have to put more monet into the company to keep it alive. An earlier press-release (in Swedish - EcoRub: Kommuniké från årsstämma) announced that Ecorub AB is going to issue 2.3 million new shares to refinance  the company.

The question is - is refinancing the way to save the company?

Assignment for the patent application “POLYOLEFIN BLENDS CONTAINING GROUND VULCANIZED RUBBER” from Edgar A. Gonzalez to ReRub AB (now Ecorub AB)

This document is in the public domain, published by Europian Patent Office. The original of this document is kept att the address:

https://register.epoline.org/espacenet/application?documentId=ECFOO9U1DHXBS06&number=EP00200710&lng=en&npl=false

October 16,2000

European Patent Office
Branch at the Hague
P.O Box 5818
NL2280HV Hague
The Netherlands
 
 

Sir or Madam,
 

I am enclosing herewith for filing the following assignment for the patent application No. 00200710.2 entitled “POLYOLEFIN BLENDS CONTAINING GROUND VULCANIZED RUBBER” dated February 28, 2000 from Edgar A. Gonzalez to ReRub AB.

My check in the amount of $64.69 USD is enclosed to cover the filing fee. Please send the recorded assignment and any future correspondance regarding this application to:

ReRub AB
Maskingatan 2
S-930 47 BYSKE
Sweden
Attention-Ake Paulson

Sincerely,

Edgar A. Gonzalez
Inventor

page 1

ASSIGNMENT

WHEREAS, I , Edgar A. Gonzalez, citizen of the United States, residing at 14555 Eby Road, Creston, Ohio 44217, have invented certain novel and useful improvements in "POL YOLEFIN BLENDS CONTAINING GROUND VULCANIZED RUBBER" for which I have made application No. 00200710.2 for Letters Patent of the European Patent Office and of which I am the true inventor, and

WHEREAS, ReRub AB, a Swedish Company, having its principal place of business at Maskingatan 2 S-93047 Byske, Sweden, is desirous of acquiring the entire right, title and interest in and to said application and Letters Patent to be obtained therefor in Europe;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Edgar A. Gonzalez, subject to the provisions of the Sales Agreement executed between me and ReRub AB dated September 1, 2000, have sold, assigned, transferred and set over, and by these presents do hereby sell, assign, transfer and set over unto said ReRub AB, its successors and assigns, the entire and exclusive right, title and interest in and to said application executed by me on February 28, 2000, preparatory to obtaining Letters Patent of the European Patent Office therefor, and to Letters Patent to be obtained for said invention in Europe and any and all reissues, divisions, extensions or continuations thereof in Europe including all rights to any accrued damages arising out of infringement during the time preceding and following grant of the Letters Patent and execution or recording of this assignment; and

page 2

I HEREBY REQUEST the European Patent Office to issue said Letters Patent to said ReRub AB as the assignee of my interest for the sole use of said assignee and its successors and assigns: and

I HEREBY AGREE to execute any further papers necessary to secure said assignee in its full and complete enjoyment of its right to said application, Letters Patent, reissues, divisions, extensions and continuations.

IN TESTIMIONY WHEREOF. we have hereunto set our hands this 16 th day of October

EDGAR A. GONZALEZ

RERUB - AKE PAULSSON

STATE OF OHIO
COUNTY OF WAYNE

On this 16th day of October 2000, before me personally appeared

EDGAR A. GONZALEZ

to me known and known to me to be the person mentioned in and who executed the foregoing Assignment; and they duly acknowledged to me that he executed the same of his own free will and for the purposes therein set forth.

Notary Public

Dale J.WIRTH

Notary Public. State Of Ohio

My Commission Expires Feb 21 f 2002

page 3

100% Recycled Rubber 

DalLastic eco-friendly rubber surface for outdoor use. DalLastic tiles are made from 100% recycled rubber fibre bound with coloured polyurethene resin (PUR).

Picture from www.dalsouple.com

DalLastic surface is provided as tiles 500mm x 500mm glued on the substrate. DalLastic tiles, except Polygrass, are supplied with bevelled edges and are available in half tiles 500mm x 250mm.

Producer does not provide the info about the source of rubber crumb (recycled rubber) used for production of Dalllastic ties/surfaces.

A technological breakthrough by Australian scientists has produced a solution for the world's mountains of waste truck and car tyres.

Picture from www.fakecactus.co.uk

In Australia about 70% of the estimated 11 million tyres discarded annually are still being dumped, used as landfill, or stockpiled. Tyres can now be recycled and used in shoe soles, automotive components, building products, coatings/sealants and containers for hazardous waste.

The technology has already been proven through the development of rubber ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) composites for EcoRecycle Victoria. The composite uses 50% crumbed rubber to replace plastic, offering an economic alternative to Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics.

Despite environmental concerns, incineration of scrap tyre rubber as a fuel source is currently the most widely used method of disposal. One example is burning tyres to fire cement kilns. Although burning a kilo of tyre rubber generates approximately 28,600 BTUs (British Thermal Units) of energy, it actually requires much higher energy (approximately 121,000 BTUs) to produce a kilo of raw rubber.

Since most common tyre recycling methods require less than 2,200 BTUs to process about a kilo of scrap tyres into clean crumb rubber, the use of crumb rubber in new products could offer considerable energy savings.

The mechanical segmenting method is highly energy efficient and is the first part of a process which incorporates downstream devulcanization* and activation phases resulting in high quality rubber powders.

The whole process will enable waste tyres to be turned back into high quality devulcanized and activated rubber powders (down to 80 - 120 mesh size) free of metal contamination for redevelopment as new products, such as new tyres and elasto-polymer based items.

Examples of applications include: Shoe soles, automotive components, tyres, non-pneumatic tyres, wheels, building products (roofing materials, insulating materials, window gaskets) coatings/sealants, containers for hazardous waste, industrial products (enclosures, conveyor belts, etc) and many more.

Find more here