Pavel Galchenko and Yohann Samarasinghe say they have figured out how to extract the rubber and steel from tires in a way that's both affordable and environmentally friendly.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Best friends Pavel Galchenko and Yohann Samarasinghe are pitching their solution to what has been a long-standing and seemingly unsolvable problem of rubber tire manufacturing: What to do with the components that can't be recycled.
Galchenko and Samarasinghe, who started tackling the problem as students at Aurora High School, say they have figured out how to extract the rubber and steel from tires in a way that's both affordable and environmentally friendly.
They co-founded RVS Rubber Solutions (www.rsvrs.com), a start-up based at Case Western Reserve University, with help from MAGNET, Cleveland's manufacturing advocacy and growth network.
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Yohann Samarasinghe, co-founder of RVS Rubber Solutions, is a sophomore at the University of California, San Diego, and a graduate of Aurora High School. RVS Rubber Solutions is competing for a $50,000 Cleantech University Prize in Chicago on Thursday, Feb. 9. They and seven other teams from the Midwest will propose their ideas to a panel of experts on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 9, at the University of Chicago in the regional finals of the Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP) competition presented by Clean Energy Trust, a Chicago-based energy innovation nonprofit.
The most innovative and promising university-based "clean-tech" company will win $50,000 and advance to the Clean Energy Trust Challenge event in May. The winners of that event will compete against other regional Cleantech UP winners at a national U.S. Department of Energy event in June, where they can win $100,000.
Galchenko is a Case Western Reserve sophomore studying biochemistry and applied data science, and Samarasinghe is a sophomore studying nanoengineering and business at the University of California, San Diego.
According to the U.S. EPA, about 100 million pounds of tire components discarded during the manufacturing process end up being dumped in landfills each year because the body ply -- the tire's largest component -- can't be effectively recycled.
Body plies and belts, often made from polyester and steel, give tires strength and flexibility but must be manufactured to exacting standards to ensure product quality and safety. As a result, large quantities of materials are rejected during the manufacturing process and when disposed of in landfills, release toxins that are harmful the environment, according to the EPA.
"We're honored to be competing in such a prestigious competition," Galchenko said. "It kind of validates the technology and how far we've come in just a year -- thanks to guidance from the School of Law's Intellectual Property Venture Clinic and access to collaborative space at think[box]." The 50,000-square-foot Sears Think[box] provides a safe for people to tinker and invent.
RVS Tech induces vibrations to separate the rubber from the steel in a process that doesn't degrade the quality of the rubber. That reduces and potentially eliminates waste, while yielding high-quality material that can help make rubber products manufacturers less dependent on environmentally harmful methods of obtaining virgin rubber, according to its founders.
"We recycle the component materials from tires rejected during their manufacturing in a very cost-efficient process," Samarasinghe said.
"We are a 'negative-waste company,' meaning we are actually reducing the amount of waste material entering landfills from other producers by reintroducing the rejected tire component into the consumer market after our RVS Tech has processed it."