<p>How long would it take for a synthetic tire to decompose in a landfill (no oxygen, no sun)? I take it butadiene-styrene rubber is the most prevalent type.</p>
<p>Don't close it for a lack of research. I did try to google it (including carrying out a search on Scholar) but was unable to find a claim with an authoritative source backing it. I need a good reference (<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325860937_Decomposition_of_Used_Tyre_Rubber_by_Pyrolysis_Enhancement_of_the_Physical_Properties_of_the_Liquid_Fraction_Using_a_Hydrogen_Stream" rel="nofollow noreferrer">these</a> <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/294/1/012064/pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">claims</a> of &quot;80-100 years&quot;, for instance, don't have any). The objective may be tricky as this website <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190731204948/https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/public-works-planning/divisions-of-public-works-and-planning/resources-and-parks-division/recycling-and-solid-waste-disposal/used-tires" rel="nofollow noreferrer">says</a> &quot;there is no known rate of decomposition for tires&quot;. However, even if it's so, I still need a reference to corroborate that</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-11T06:18:08.107Z
the main thing breaking down plastics is ultraviolet light so no uv=very little decomposition.please clarify what you mean by decompose,is it the time it takes for the plastic to be transformed into oil or is it the time it takes for the tire to disolve into micro plastics,one will happen the other will probably not.
trond hansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-11T06:23:41.267Z
i am not sure this question is a good fit for our site as it is only remotely related to earth science.
trond hansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-11T09:37:12.410Z
Old tires are used to build retaining walls, where they are half-buried, so I guess they have been tested to be long lasting in these conditions, else they would not be used by civil engineers.
Jean-Marie Prival
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-14T03:49:52.160Z
@trondhansen what is it a good fit for?
Sergey Zolotarev
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-14T05:20:40.663Z
@SergeyZolotarev not all good questions will fit in a particular category,your question touch https://sustainability.stackexchange.com/ and to some degree https://biology.stackexchange.com/ and it has an element of https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/ but i do not think it is a good fit at any of the sites.
trond hansen
<decomposition>
How long would it take for a synthetic tire to decompose in a landfill?
Sergey Zolotarev
# How long would it take for a synthetic tire to decompose in a landfill?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-02-11)

How long would it take for a synthetic tire to decompose in a landfill (no oxygen, no sun)? I take it butadiene-styrene rubber is the most prevalent type.

Don't close it for a lack of research. I did try to google it (including carrying out a search on Scholar) but was unable to find a claim with an authoritative source backing it. I need a good reference ([these](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325860937_Decomposition_of_Used_Tyre_Rubber_by_Pyrolysis_Enhancement_of_the_Physical_Properties_of_the_Liquid_Fraction_Using_a_Hydrogen_Stream) [claims](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/294/1/012064/pdf) of "80-100 years", for instance, don't have any). The objective may be tricky as this website [says](https://web.archive.org/web/20190731204948/https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/public-works-planning/divisions-of-public-works-and-planning/resources-and-parks-division/recycling-and-solid-waste-disposal/used-tires) "there is no known rate of decomposition for tires". However, even if it's so, I still need a reference to corroborate that

**Tags:** decomposition

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: the main thing breaking down plastics is ultraviolet light so no uv=very little decomposition.please clarify what you mean by decompose,is it the time it takes for the plastic to be transformed into oil or is it the time it takes for the tire to disolve into micro plastics,one will happen the other will probably not.  
> **username_1**: i am not sure this question is a good fit for our site as it is only remotely related to earth science.  
> **username_2**: Old tires are used to build retaining walls, where they are half-buried, so I guess they have been tested to be long lasting in these conditions, else they would not be used by civil engineers.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 what is it a good fit for?  
> **username_1**: @username_0 not all good questions will fit in a particular category,your question touch https://sustainability.stackexchange.com/ and to some degree https://biology.stackexchange.com/ and it has an element of https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/ but i do not think it is a good fit at any of the sites.  

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