The Future of Tire Recycling | Vincent Gori, Dr. Kurosh Darvish & Mehrdad Swizi

Jul 31, 2026 · 44:00 · Agriculture & Biochar

Vincent Gori and Temple’s team explain cryogenic tire recycling at minus 160 Celsius, using cold, crushing, and shredding to separate tire materials.

Vincent Gori

GRSI’s Cold First Method for a Tire Problem That Does Not Disappear

Vincent Gori frames tire recycling as a durable waste problem with a process answer. His entry point was commercial instinct rather than a technical background. He told Blake Newcomer that he had no prior background in tire manufacturing or mechanical engineering, then gave the reason he committed anyway: "the technology was great because I knew there was a problem for with tires," Vincent Gori said. He later made the investment logic even plainer: "this is a problem that will never go away," Vincent Gori said.

That sentence is the first piece of the playbook. Gori is looking for waste streams where demand for disposal is permanent, regulatory pressure is likely to rise, and the feedstock is already concentrated through existing scrap channels. Tires fit that pattern. They pile up, they resist simple disposal, and they contain separable material streams, rubber, steel cord, and nylon.

The technical strategy from Green Recycling Solutions International, working with Temple University’s engineering department, is to change the physical state of the tire before trying to break it apart. The team cools the tire with liquid nitrogen in the lab to about minus 160 Celsius, then fractures it through two mechanical stages. Dr. Kurosh Darvish described the machine as three linked components: a top cooling chamber, a jaw crusher, and a lower fracturing mill. The sequence is simple as a system rule: cool, crush, shred, then separate.

That matters because the team is avoiding a common trap in recycling machinery. They are reducing the burden on mechanical force by first making the material brittle. Cold becomes the enabling condition for cleaner physical separation.

Temple’s Three Stage Prototype, Cooling Chamber, Jaw Crusher, Fracturing Mill

Dr. Darvish’s explanation shows how the team converts a messy tire into an engineered sequence. The top chamber cools the tire. The green lower section, described as a jaw crusher, applies the first fracture. The final mill uses rotating cylinders with teeth, similar in concept to a shredder, to finish breaking the cold material.

The core design assumption is that brittle rubber behaves differently from room temperature rubber. When the tire is cold enough, fracture can help separate rubber from steel cord and nylon. Dr. Darvish described the intent this way: "The idea is that the combination of this with a cold tire would result in separation of the parts which is tire which is rubber and the steel quartz and nylon three components," Dr. Kurosh Darvish said.

The lab system uses commercially available products modified for the application. That is a practical prototyping choice. Instead of waiting for a custom machine stack, the team adapts known components and learns through assembly, sealing, temperature testing, and fracture behavior. The white sealing components visible on the unit have a specific job, isolating the very cold internal process from outside conditions.

For a commercial system, Gori describes a shift away from liquid nitrogen. The lab needs liquid nitrogen because of space and testing limits. The planned commercial unit would use expansion and contraction of ambient air through compressors to reach similar temperatures. "on a fully commercial commercial unit, we're using the expansion and contraction of ambient ambient air to make it 100% eco-friendly," Vincent Gori said.

That creates a second framework for the episode: lab medium versus commercial medium. Liquid nitrogen is a testing tool. Ambient air compression is the proposed commercial pathway. The engineering question is whether the full system can maintain temperature, throughput, safety, and material separation without making the cooling method too costly or complex.

The 2018 Temple Partnership Turned a Waste Concept Into a Student Built System

The collaboration began through a relationship, then became an engineering program. Gori was introduced to Dr. Darvish by Dr. Michael Jackson, a professor at Temple. Dr. Darvish has been at Temple since 2005 and said the project began around 2018. That date matters because it shows the slow build from concept to multiple prototypes, with senior design students serving as part of the development engine.

Dr. Darvish’s first contribution was to structure the concept into pieces students could build and test. "So first we started doing this as a design project," Dr. Kurosh Darvish said. That line captures the academic translation model. A commercial waste problem becomes a sequence of educational modules: cooling, sealing, crushing, milling, handling, instrumentation, and control.

The tradeoff is clear in Dr. Darvish’s account. Student projects create learning and low cost iteration, but they can also produce uneven progress. Some cohorts move the machine forward. Some designs need to be replaced. The institution still gains an applied design platform, and the company gains prototype learning that would be expensive to buy from a commercial engineering firm.

The partnership also has a funding arc. Gori described earlier work with SUNY Cobleskill after GRSI became approved by Governor Cuomo’s New York program in 2014, then returned to Philadelphia and built the Temple relationship. Dr. Darvish said the project has reached its first external funding from the state of Pennsylvania after being internally funded and company supported. That sequence offers a commercialization ladder: founder conviction, university prototyping, student iteration, state funding, then commercial equipment design.

Mehrdad Swizi’s Automation Layer Turns Manual Handling Into Process Control

Mehrdad Swizi’s role points to the next bottleneck. The machine works as a staged prototype, but the current handling between stages is manual. Swizi’s assignment is to make the transition between parts automatic through sensors, controls, and software. "I'm responsible for expanding the idea actually for next step we wanted to uh make that more automatic," Mehrdad Swizi said.

His proposed method starts with temperature measurement. Thermocouples would read the material or chamber state, then the system would decide when to move material to the next step. That is a shift from operator judgment to process control. In a cryogenic recycling system, timing is not just a convenience issue. If the tire is moved too early, it may not fracture cleanly. If it waits too long or warms during transfer, separation quality can fall. If the machine is overcooled, energy cost rises.

Swizi described himself as a designer and problem solver who can move from system diagnosis to mechanical and electromechanical parts. His engineering loop is practical: design, machine parts, test, find the failure reason, then revise. He called it "try and error" during engineering design.

That gives the team its third framework: automation follows physical proof. First, prove the material state change and fracture sequence. Second, instrument the system. Third, automate transfer based on measured temperature rather than fixed assumptions. For climate tech hardware, that order is often more reliable than building a complex control stack before the physical process is stable.

Reentry, Recycling, and the Commercial Discipline Behind the Machine

The episode also carries a human origin story that shapes Gori’s operating style. He dates the turning point to April 12th, 2000, when he was arrested in Philadelphia. He later served 10 years in federal prison and was released in April 2009. Gori described that decade as time to reflect on mistakes and rebuild around legitimate business.

Dr. Darvish connected that history to the recycling work through the idea of reentry into society. The link is more than biographical. Gori’s commercial posture is based on choosing a problem with permanence, finding technical partners, and moving through licensing, transfer lessons, prototypes, and funding.

For builders in waste and recycling, the GRSI Temple case offers a grounded pattern. Pick a waste stream that keeps coming. Use physics to simplify separation. Prototype with available machinery before specifying full custom equipment. Treat university design programs as a way to test modules and train talent. Add automation only after the core physical mechanism has enough evidence. Then replace lab inputs with a commercial operating model.

The tire is the waste object. The deeper playbook is the conversion of a physical constraint into a staged engineering system.

Frameworks from this conversation

  • Cold, Crush, Shred Separation
  • Lab Medium Versus Commercial Cooling Medium
  • Student Prototype to State Funded Hardware Ladder
  • Temperature Triggered Automation for Tire Handling
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  1. Oh, today on the show we have not one or two but three guests. I had the pleasure of going to Temple University's engineering department to interview Vins Gory, Dr. Kurosh Darvish, and their graduate uh researcher Merat. I got to talk to three of them about this novel technology that they are pioneering in

  2. their lab that recycles tires. The way that they do this is they make it extremely cold and then they break it up into pieces. It's obviously much more technical than that and they will get into the details of it, but it's really cool to see in practice uh a pre-commercialized technology that's still in the lab that's made extreme

  3. progress over the years that they've uh dedicated to it um and learn more about that process. So, uh it was very educational for me. I know it will be for you. Shout out to our sponsors, Clean Tech Growth Lab. If you're looking to grow in clean tech, they are the people to do it with. And the producers

  4. of this podcast, Crazy Friends. With that, I give you the GRSI team. Oh, welcome to another episode of The Grove. Shout out to our sponsors mentioned just before this, but without them, it would not be possible to interview awesome people doing awesome things like Vince, Dr. Cruz Darvish and Martha, welcome. What's going on?

  5. >> Hey, how you doing today, Blake? >> This is great. You kidding me? >> Oh, it's fantastic. >> Yeah, I get to be here. So, I no introduction about the technology cuz once you guys start talking about it, I know it's going to be very exciting. So, why don't we go into a little bit uh

  6. about your personal journeys before we start talking about the tech. Martat, we can start with you. How did you end up here? >> Uh, hi everyone. Actually my name is Meat Suizi. I'm uh studying PhD in mechanical engineering and working under Dr. Dar supervision in biomechanics lab.

  7. So uh I'm doing different projects in uh both mechanical and biomechanics engineering. Nice. Yeah. Awesome. >> Hello. Uh yeah, my name is Kor Darvish. I'm here at Temple since 2005, so 21 years. Uh I've been a chair of mechanical engineering also for it's almost six years now.

  8. >> And uh so uh we got to this project since I think 2018. >> 2018, correct? >> 2018. >> Nice. >> And so since I know Vince since then. Yeah. >> Great. >> All right, >> Vince. Hi, I'm Vince Mory, president of Green Recycling Solutions International.

  9. And it all started with a twitch in my leg on April 12th, 2000. You're probably wondering what I mean by that. On that day, I was walking into our place of work, Rockco Elurn's Barber Shop on South Seventh Street in Philadelphia, PA. There was always was always a business going on. It's a place where

  10. you really couldn't get a haircut. Uh we were book makers, drug dealers, and any fine stuff that fell off the back of truck got sold through the barber shop. On April 12th of 2000, I got into my car, pulled up in front of our place of business with usually my coffees and my cappuccinos and my

  11. Italian pastries for everybody in into the barber shop. I noticed a lot of commotion going on in front. So, as I was walking forward towards the barber shop, I see the alphabets, DEA, FBI, police. [laughter] The only one I didn't see was the CIA that day.

  12. >> So, at that day when that happened, I noticed my leg saw a voluntary twitch and I knew that day I was going to be arrested and I was arrested and I did 10 years in federal pres federal u prison on April in April 2009.

  13. 10 years and excuse me 10 years is a long time to complate compilate comp excuse me >> you got you good you got it >> 10 years is a long time to complate comp contemplate thank you one's fate one's life and one's mistakes I decided to use my time as constructively as possible as

  14. and vowed to never put myself in a bad position again I also try to associate with other prisoners who were successful in business at that time and still are successful in business today. [sighs] I was released in April 2009 and in October I met my wife Barbara. She had been in the commercial lending arena for

  15. over 20 years as director of lending. One of her business assoc. So one of her business opport one of her business partners came across the the tire recycling technology that he had funded in 2000. >> Mhm. >> Came back around. I jumped into it. We signed a worldwide license agreement with a publicly owned company to develop

  16. their technologies. Jars I [clears throat] so jars became one of the first companies to be approved by Governor Cuomo Sharp New York program in 2014. Although the program was discontinued, we learned a lot valuable lessons about the partnership that we had with Sunni Cobbskill and about tech transfers. And when I came back to Philadelphia, I was

  17. introduced to Professor Krufish here at Temple University and uh we developed our own uh tech transfer program as to where we are today. >> Oh wow. Okay. So how then was did you have any background beforehand in any kind of tire manufacturing, mechanical engineering, anything like this? How did this technology interest you to that

  18. degree? >> No, I didn't have any background in any of that. So, I'm an opportunist, but the technology was great because I knew there was a problem for with tires and I really fell in love with the idea of recycling these tires, made an ambient air. I have a lot of friends who

  19. are in into the um scrap metal business and they scrap cars. So, I learned from them about the tires too. >> Okay. So that's what really got me involved into the into it and I saw the the um the value in it because this is a problem that will never go away and we so we decided to proceed forward

  20. with the technology. >> Interesting. >> And as you can see we're here right now everything's set up ready to go. >> So I have a question for uh Dr. Cruz and it is at the beginning here that you can take the the time. Uh at the at the at the beginning when uh you two met and

  21. you said you had initialized the tech transfer program, what was that process like? >> Uh yeah, let me tell you something. Uh I think you know maybe Vince forgot to mention that there's an irony in this uh uh recycling >> that I think he likes about it is re-entry you know in the society

  22. >> and we all talked about it. This is we were joking about it which is actually true. >> So uh but I was impressed in general by Vince's background and all of that and the fact that he wants to do something interesting. So because my area you know I'm a mechanical engineering general but

  23. my actual area is biomechanics. Sorry but you know I I thought this is an interesting project and uh and potentially could also uh uh we can um use this as a as a project for students because we have senior design as our requirement as a requirement in our program. So I that was the that was the

  24. motivation. So first we started doing this as a design project. So we we thought okay this is multiple steps we can divide it into so different steps and see how students can actually build the components of this project.

  25. >> So this is how we started. >> Okay >> because we you know before you can you go to commercialization you need to have a have an idea right? So you have you need to have a prototype. So we we went through multiple stages of prototypes over these years. Some sometimes you know you know depending on kind of

  26. student we get so sometimes we made a lot of progress sometimes we went backwards a little bit we move forward but overall students learn right but whether they can produce a product that lasts it's a different story right >> so uh but now we get to a point that I think we are uh so we got their first uh

  27. outside funding right so all of this was internally funded so far, right? So, because projects to get funding, Vince also from his company, you know, we actually bought some of these equipment and um so we got to this point, right?

  28. So, we got to the point to get a our first externally funding external funding from uh from the state of Pennsylvania. >> Got it. Hey, congratulations. >> Which is good. [laughter] >> So, and and at the beginning, how is it that you two came into contact? Did Vince, you know, jumping through the

  29. window or how did you guys get >> it? It was from a mutual friend, uh, Dr. Michael Jackson. >> Oh, really? >> Yes. It was a professor here. He introduced me to Professor Dar Dr. Michael Jackson who introduc introduced me to Professor Darvish.

  30. >> Oh, great. So, so as a mutual friend, you were discussing this technology, >> right? >> And then >> he introduced me to Dr. Jackson >> and then Dr. said, "I have the perfect person for you." >> Yes.

  31. >> Wonderful. >> That's how it started. >> Okay. So uh so then I'd like to transition quickly because I'm very curious how this uh this relates to society, how this relates in practice what the thoughts are around all of this.

  32. >> But before we get into that, this is the unit. Is that right? >> That's right. >> Okay. If you Yeah. If you just want to temporarily so we get a shot of it. >> You can get a shot of it.

  33. [laughter] >> Let me just do it this way. >> There you go. Yeah. Push it up. All right. So very so so very quickly >> sorry >> if you just want to point out the uh the major pieces of this and then we can >> collect ourselves.

  34. >> So so the basic idea is that uh we're uh using uh commercially available we use commercially available products and we modify them to make a a kind of a uh there are three components here. So on top you see this is what we call the cooling chamber where the tire is going

  35. to be cooled with liquid nitrogen to uh to uh you know uh - 160 uh Celsius and then this is the the green part the like a bluish greenish part that's the fracturing uh this is the uh uh crushing the jaw crusher which basically does the first fracturing ing part of the tire. Then it it leads to

  36. the the part in the lower part which is the which we call it the fracturing mill which are ro which are rotating uh uh cylinders which are they have teeth and they crush the the final product. The the idea is that the com combination of this with a cold tire would result in

  37. separation of the parts which is tire which is rubber and the uh the um steel quartz and nylon three components >> and it's all green. >> All green. [laughter] >> Yeah. Green recycling. Exactly. And then so as you can see here the white parts that you see here and all through these are for uh sealing the this the inside

  38. from outside. These are >> uh particular uh you know we find all these the materials for this particular project so they can isolate the uh the inside that is very cold from outside. So on a on a fully commercial commercial unit, we're using the expansion and contraction of ambient ambient air to make it 100% eco-friendly.

  39. >> Okay. >> So for testing purposes in the lab due to space, we have to use liquid nitrogen. >> Got it. >> So the ambient air will bring down to the same temperature as we do with the liquid nitrogen.

  40. >> Got it. So just to say again, so you're saying you're saying you >> on a commercial unit when we're commercialized, we're going to be using expansion contraction vaner a series of compressors. >> Well, look at that. Oh, no. It stands.

  41. That's great. Just wanted to close it. [laughter] >> That's nice. Through a series of compressors. So, bring that temperature down to the same temperature as liquid nitrogen. Mine's 180 degrees. >> Awesome. >> That way, it's 100% eco-friendly. So, there's no EPA. You don't have to have any EPA waiverss or anything like that.

  42. >> Got it. Okay. Great. All right. So, then just just to just to cover um uh the walkthrough that you gave. So, there's a chamber at the top that makes the rubber very cold. >> Yes. And then after that there's a chamber that crushes it.

  43. >> The crushers, the jaw crusher that basically moves back and forth, right? So imagine you crush something. These are very similar to rock crushers that use commercially, right? >> Okay. >> And then the the last part is the one that they It's a mill. It's like a imagine like a paper shredder. It's very

  44. similar to that. Okay. >> So the last part is that. >> Great. So cold. >> Yeah. >> Crush shred. Yeah. Exactly. >> Okay. Wonderful. Okay. Cool. So then uh so then where does Merrta come into play K where what is the the uh technology piece that you're that you're bringing.

  45. >> So what because you'll be doing research into something correct? >> Yeah. Uh actually I recently joined to the group. >> Yeah. If you just want to f pivot a little bit towards the >> uh I recently joined to the group. uh so I'm responsible for expanding the idea actually for next step we wanted to uh

  46. make that more automatic great >> actually now we are moving like the parts uh manually uh for next step we need to understand what uh uh actually we need to add some thermocouple couple to read the uh temperature and based on the temperature uh we can uh move the parts to next steps.

  47. >> Oh, I see. >> So, this is part that I'm going to start to work on that now. >> So, how did how does this tie in with uh your background or the research that you had done? >> Uh actually I my background uh as I said is in different project but I can say I

  48. can design uh and I'm a problem solver actually. Yes, >> I can understand what's the problem with a system. >> Then find a solution and try to design different systems, mechanical system, electromechanical system to solve the problem. >> Nice.

  49. >> Yeah. So basically uh I design then make some parts doing machining and this stuff and then uh see if it works. If doesn't work, we sometimes need to find what's the reason and then solve that issue. >> Got it.

  50. >> So it's kind of try and error. >> Yeah. >> During uh engineering design. >> Okay. >> So >> So then at this point in the technology I heard two main focuses, right? At least for now like it's it's to make it more automatic.

  51. >> Yeah. >> And remind me of the second one. Uh actually it's one make more automatic but especially yeah uh what we want to make more automatic is uh actually moving the parts to the next step. >> Okay.

  52. >> Yeah. Got it. >> We are doing that now manually but in the future we have to use that uh system and software to do that automatically. >> Okay. Great. That's awesome. So uh you were speaking to the design process. you were speaking to how this technology has been used in this lab to uh to augment

  53. the design class, the senior design class. That's right. >> If you just want to grab the >> Yeah. >> the mic. So, could you elaborate a little bit on how this technology is uh in the realm of the kind of research that you do or uh and in addition what is the what excites you about this

  54. particular technology? So for me I as I told you my main focus is not rubber you know because you know I'm not a rubber mechanics person by any means right I'm a biomechanics person but what is really this excited me is that uh first of all uh with the issues I think one of the

  55. main issues in our society in general is recycling right so we need we have major problem with uh with all the stuff that you know collects you know and we make things that we need to you if you go just look at you know dumps this is so many tires just sitting around right and

  56. so uh this is just one of the examples but in general recycling has become a focus of mechanical engineering and civil engineering also so so that's why uh from as I'm being a a person who teaches I teach design courses I you know it so in those situations I'm more thinking more broadly than my particular

  57. research area right >> because I'm I want to make sure the students our students understand how this is important all right that we need to think about how we we can basically uh make sustainable systems all right so that's that's really my main what gets me excited >> okay okay >> so uh but my particular you know as I

  58. said my expertise is in the biio mechanics area >> okay >> but but as a as a professor of design you know it's very important that we teach our students uh sustainability >> and I think that's what that's where it comes from so we put this as senior design projects >> and then uh so also mead you know so

  59. because now we get to a point that we need a different level of expertise >> because automating this >> which is exciting. >> Yeah, exactly. It's automating this setup it beyond a kind of an undergraduate >> level. So that's why we thought it's better to bring a graduate student involved and uh and uh so this you know

  60. so that's why you know we're basically making we're going to the next level essentially >> correct >> with with this funding. Well, so this is uh so I I do want to get the story of how uh we got to the funding, but uh I'll leave it up to you who wants to

  61. take this question. You said you guys have been working on this technology since 2018. Is that right? >> Yes. >> So how has it changed in that time? >> Well, first I [clears throat] came with a license agreement and a piece of paper.

  62. >> Okay. >> See if you can see. >> And the patent. So I presented that to him. Then the first the senior design course we had where I had five students and they did a tabletop version. >> Okay.

  63. >> It's all I have it on my Instagram account. >> Oh, that's great. >> And they they did a tabletop version of the jaw the the top piece. >> Did it always have the cooling uh crushing and um >> No. So we started off with you uh see that little container back there?

  64. >> Dipping pieces of tire in liquid nitrogen then running them through to crush them. >> Oh, okay. All right. Very manual. Very manual. >> Very manual. So we determined then we at that time we were determining the um >> the torque for the rollers.

  65. >> So then let me ask you this then. What like what does it mean I guess like at at the point where you guys started what did it mean to you to have a technology that you could bring to him if you guys had just started doing the uh the tests and things? Had you done

  66. any testing yourself? Had your friend done any testing? Or was this just a good idea? It >> was just a good idea because I learned from I told you I had a partnership with Sunni Copskillow. >> That's where I learned out the whole startup New York program. The main thing that I learned was the part value of the

  67. the partnership with the university. >> Okay. >> So when I left New York, came back to Philadelphia. >> Yeah. >> That's when I uh was introduced to Professor Darish. >> Sure. Right. >> So that's when we started um coordinating with our project.

  68. >> I see. Okay. So it was a really good idea >> and this lab had the opportunity and the undergraduate uh interest in developing it for >> exactly and and imagine the technology. So so um it's it's not a new technology, right? So imagine cryo cry u um um uh working on tires. It's it's not

  69. something new, right? has been around for a while and and Vince basically had this uh u patent based on another technology in New York. So the the main thing is that uh as I got more into this I re I see that the uh there is the idea is there right but the question is how

  70. you optimize the system >> right because there is a whole thing about optimizing this that's why it becomes an interesting thing for us right first for the undergrads even if they can replicate an existing setup as a in a pro prototype setting is already good for them they learn something. But for us as we when we do the grant and we

  71. move forward is to make this optimized right because it hasn't been optimized in any other um you know uh projects that I know or prototypes that I know. So that's why we're working on it. So we're trying to see how long you know this tire should be in the liquidity, how fast it should be crushed, what

  72. should be the geometry of the crush, what should be the rate of that, you know, all of this. Right. So we're working on the details of of the process. >> Right. Right. >> And that's why, as I told you, that's why we we needed to move to a different level >> Yeah.

  73. >> of of research. Have there been technologies that have gotten to the stage and then uh spun out of this laboratory into commercialization or is this the furthest that this lab at least has taken a technology? >> Uh from my lab I you know as I told you my lab is a is a bio lab. So, so from

  74. from my lab the the the we have some technologies we we we did have some provisional patents uh from my lab you know over the years which are primarily designed they're for measurements of tissue deformation okay in the body. So that's my you know where where we commercialize things >> and uh more re recently Mhd is working

  75. on something else orthopedic related so uh so we are having you know like devices devices that are either uh for um you know that are related to bio applications. So, so these are the type of things I've done, >> right?

  76. >> Um, but um with regard to this setup, this particular setup, I think we are um we're still in the pro in the like we're making a prototype better, right? So, we're you know because we still have a patent from the old patent, right?

  77. >> But this is not I would say it's not ready for a new patent because we're still working >> to, you know, get the kings. >> Got it. >> But, uh that we're moving in that direction. So, we're hoping to have a new patent.

  78. >> Awesome. >> Uh, you know, soon. >> Great. Well, then well then I guess back to uh uh back to my uh question beforehand about how it has uh changed over time. So then initially, I don't know a year maybe year or two after uh you guys had met there was a tabletop

  79. version. >> Where did it go after that? >> We went to tabletop version. Then we went then I bought the um the two pieces, the rollers and the and the crusher. That was the next step >> that early. So that was like what six years ago about?

  80. >> Yes. And then CO hit. So everything was shut down >> and then you had to take this to your garage then. So >> I left it here. >> Oh, you left it here. [laughter] Okay. You didn't want that all that liquid nitrogen in your garage. Okay.

  81. >> We left everything here and we were working on it into in between during CO as much as we could. >> Okay. Then after CO uh ended, that's when we had another senior design students came in and the third group came in to bring us up to this date.

  82. >> Okay. And remind me cuz we were talking about it before uh we hit record. There is something important about the composition of these tires. It's not just rubber. >> No, >> there's other things inside. >> So you have three you have rubber, steel wire, and tire cord. All three.

  83. My process is the only process allows 100% of the tire to be recycled in a signals process. My technology is the only method that allows 100% of tire to be recycled in a signal process. >> Okay? >> So, we separate the steel wire, tire cord, and chrome rubber all time.

  84. >> Okay? >> That's what the uh rollers are for. >> All right? >> And it's it really moves slow. So, you don't want to dam you don't want to damage the steel wire or anything. Okay? So, ours is going to be 100% um we're going to recover 100% of the material. Okay.

  85. >> Which is it which is inside of a tire. >> So, is the idea then uh once these three main pieces of the tire are recovered, the idea is to resell or >> Yes. So you could resell the the uh steel wire gets sold off, gets melted down. Tire cord gets sold off. Uh they

  86. can make it put in the back of rugs, carpeting, so you can make out different end products with that. >> Okay. >> And this crumb rubber is on the commodities is on the commodities market. So that gets sold off too.

  87. >> Wow. >> Plus you can make any kind of end product because you have the raw material. >> It's called crumb rubber. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Like a band, [laughter] >> right? Like an 80s band. >> Yeah. Right. Right. Right.

  88. >> So to get the you have the chrome rubber. So that would be sold off on the commodities market. Plus you make your own end products out of it. So through injection molds we'll be able to make uh truck barrier I mean road barriers.

  89. >> Okay. >> Truck flaps anything you can imagine. >> Great. >> Through injection molds. >> So then so then we are here now. So how long ago was it that Merat started that you guys won uh the grant? How long ago is this?

  90. >> Yeah. So we we basically got the grant uh last year. So uh so we uh this is uh so we have been working on getting some external funding from state of Pennsylvania and we met with uh representative of >> Bergus.

  91. >> Yeah. So uh representative Bergus um and uh so he was very interested. So so he said this is a good idea. So we basically send it uh and he man he put it as a as one of the projects under his umbrella to the state uh you know the state budget. So we're you know so it's

  92. hopefully you know we're still h you know we're still in the process of getting the funding. >> Yes of course >> you know but uh it seems that you know it's going to come anytime soon and uh so so mead got involved uh when we got more serious when we got the funding.

  93. >> Okay. >> Because imagine he's a graduate student we need to pay him. Yes. So >> uh undergrad students you know we pay from the department right so they get some for the project but not as a statement but the graduate students get stipen >> but it was but it was a meeting uh it

  94. was it it was a meeting and then an application and then uh an acceptance of the application. >> That's right. That's right. So we submitted a proposal we you know we uh Exactly. So to to to >> to represent the B burgers and he was very supportive of this you know. So I

  95. think the the idea because he sees the the future because you know Vince has a very good uh way of you know uh saying that the fact that eventually this project can lead to you know issues related to tires related to uh uh job creation.

  96. >> Imagine so a lot of people can be involved in this. Imagine you need to collect the tires, you need to bring the tires to this facility. You need to, you know, do the recycling and then all these crumb rubber and the tire goes and all of that. So, it's a lot of imagine a

  97. lot of people can be employed, >> right? Right. >> And and it's a good thing because it basically makes this it makes the environment, you know, better. Uh so that's why he was very interested in that. >> Great. So, yeah, >> we'll be we'll be able to do 2 million tires a year fully commercialized.

  98. >> Great. at 7,000 tires a day. >> Yeah. >> More than 20 30 days a 24 three shifts a day. >> And there and there's not currently there well there are approaches to tire recycling. >> Yeah. So today the the most common way they recycle tires today is either chop chop and grind which now you have

  99. petroleum dust that drifts then becomes petroleum uh uh drift dust petroleum drift dust. Okay. Which which which means the air carries the carcinogens >> and drops it in the water. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And which now you pollute the water and also you have leeching when they're laying on on the ground the tires to

  100. leech into the also water into the soil. >> Got it. >> And they also use they burn them in kils for cement which is very toxic. >> So there's not really an eco-friendly way today to dispose of tires.

  101. >> Got it. So, I do have uh questions for the three of you about your personal journey. So, I'm curious before we get there if there's anything uh specific about the vision or the technology um that we haven't covered yet.

  102. >> Well, my vision for technology is to be able to license this out to different municipalities. Got it. >> Because this is a worldwide problem. >> Sure. >> It's never going to go away. So, at least we have a solution to a problem.

  103. Also our our technology will also help health benefits too because now you you don't have any water stain and tires. Yeah. >> Now you have which creates western virus malaria in certain countries. >> So we uh could eradicate that >> medical issue.

  104. >> Awesome. Well then I'll I'll do uh uh two rapid fire questions for the three of you. We'll start with Martat with I'm curious with the experience that you've had uh optimizing systems and how you're going into this project. What is it that uh what are some mistakes that you've made in the past that are

  105. influencing how you're approaching uh this new project? >> Mistakes. Thank you. [laughter] >> He's saying I've never made a mistake. No, of course. Uh >> yes, I >> when uh I came here, we have a a project on uh Kevlar fiber. [snorts] Uh so uh they are using for protection test protection.

  106. uh we wanted to do some tests in uh high est rate in higher rates of uh events like uh shutting or uh accidents. So we wanted uh to uh characterize the characterize uh mechanical properties of these fibers. Uh so we need to we needed to design a system that we can apply force in very high speed. So

  107. uh we had a design uh we had an old design uh there was some problem with with that design we wanted to make corion on that uh I think we work on that like 6 months. Yeah. >> And uh then we found that uh we need to completely change the idea.

  108. >> Yeah. Uh we completely changed the system >> after 6 months. Yeah. Yeah. And before that another student was working on that. Okay. >> It it wasn't just a little bit longer. Yeah. Yeah. >> So uh we completely changed the idea used new system that uh in the newer system uh if I want to go more with

  109. details uh in the old system we wanted to uh make a impact between two parts. So it was like uh we was damaging the part uh that we wanted to do that and also the uh mass of this system was an uh unwanted uh parameter that makes our speed lower.

  110. >> So we completely change the idea uh and we eliminate this impact with new design. So it I it takes uh like 6 months uh actually we go through and uh change our idea. >> Yes, >> we completely changed the design. And >> so are you are is is that uh are are you

  111. moving into this one with that headsp space? >> Yeah, actually uh I learned how to uh think out of the box. >> I see. Yeah, maybe sometimes maybe we do won't we don't need to optimize the current system. Maybe we need to change the design.

  112. >> Okay. >> Yeah, this is one thing that I learned. >> Good. >> Uh to think more broad and >> Oh, that's a good story. I like that. >> Yeah. How about you, K? >> Oh, mistakes. >> Sure. Mistakes or or anything from your [laughter] >> your experience?

  113. >> I'm making mistakes every day. >> Oh, good. That's great. Yeah. So, uh, yeah. So, you you you mean how I learn from mistakes? >> I'm I'm I'm thinking, is there anything uh in your experience up until this point, anything you can pull from that's influencing how you're approaching developing this technology?

  114. >> Oh, this technology. Ah, I see. You're talking about this technology. Um you know um uh I think there are I think one thing I would say I learned you know it it was a tough thing to learn was how to deal with the students >> how to make them >> um do something you know because we you

  115. have you have all kinds of student right so all kinds >> and this was something I had to learn because at the beginning And I thought, oh, you know, you just tell them do this and they have to do it, right? But that's not the case, right? So, you have to really this mentoring and and try

  116. make sure that everybody based on their background and their interest, they can contribute to some extent, right? I would say this is a big learning point for me because you know all of this was built by students at the end of the day, right? So everything you see here is done by students. Some of it, you know,

  117. I may help, you know, so especially when it comes to programs, sometimes I need to help them, >> but um everything you see and even I learned that when I do a program, how I make sure they understand what it does.

  118. >> Okay, great. >> So that's I would say this was a big learning for me. So over the years >> and um you know, still I I'm learning. >> Yes, >> I'm still learning. >> Making mistakes every day. Yeah, making mistakes every day. How to how to approach something and mer knows one

  119. thing is that I sometimes I tell him you know while I was in my dreams I thought about the solution [laughter] or I come the next day say you know I have an idea this what do you think about this idea because I keep thinking [clears throat] I keep thinking about the problems and

  120. you know I come up with that idea. >> Wonderful. >> Yeah. So um yeah, but I would say the most important thing is to how to make sure that everybody contributes >> based on their level and based on their interest >> to the project.

  121. >> Great. >> Yeah. >> How about you, Vince? >> Mistakes. [clears throat] >> Well, how much time do we have? >> How much time do we have here? [laughter] >> I was saying any any anything from your experience that's directly impacting how you're choosing to go about developing this company?

  122. Yes, I'm very well focused and once I put something in my mind, I stay focused on that till it's completed. So, I was in the Marines for four years too. So, I do have that military background and that way of thinking uh when I'm given the task, I have to fulfill the task.

  123. >> Okay. >> So, this is not even a task to me. This is uh I don't even consider this work. It's I have pleasure doing it. >> Yeah. >> Work is going every day. So, I'm forwards. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is my This is my uh >> It's my baby.

  124. >> Yeah, of course. >> You know, I started everything from a piece of paper. >> Yeah. >> Did I make mistakes on the way up to this point? Of course. Yeah, >> you always do. >> But I did learn a lot from Kush here.

  125. >> Mhm. >> He's taught me a lot about engineering and and Merta's teaching me. So, I have great um great advisors here. >> Yeah. >> And through the process. But yeah, uh every day I make mistakes. Great. Well, I got one more question for the three of you.

  126. >> All right. And we can go in secession again. And it is for you. Uh with all this work to be done, all the work that you have done, what inspires you uh about this project or >> Yeah. about this project or about life?

  127. [sighs] >> Actually my background is in mechanical engineering but uh with happening co uh I thought that I need to do something that is more related to helping people. >> Mhm. So uh my inspiration always is to see if I'm doing something does it help to

  128. people uh or not and that's the reason that I uh choose to work under Dr. Irish uh supervision biomechanics lab uh because our research is directly uh it's uh its application is directly related to improving health in people >> and in this case also we are uh trying to uh make a better environment

  129. uh with recycling tires. So >> very good wonderful. How about you K? >> Uh so what was the question again? >> I say with all this work to be done, >> all these mistakes you're making, >> what inspires you?

  130. >> What inspires me? >> Uh I think you know as I said regarding this uh you know in general I think uh the the role of engineering is you know there are certain challenges that faces engineering. Um and one of one major challenge is sustainability all right because we have limited re resources population is growing so we

  131. need sustainable systems so I think that's inspires me right so we we use our engineering uh tools to achieve that another issue in engineering is energy right so so we need to be basically better in terms of using the energy and how we use it. So there's limited sources re resources for energy. So

  132. therefore it's better to be you know makes this sustainable. So that this this is a big inspiration I think these are you know and and as as me says so my other expertise in the bio also I think that's another issue right because I obviously you all we all know that how medicine has become technological

  133. >> and uh so I think this is still keeps going and still we're at the beginning of it so it's going to be you know so I think that's another area so I would say these are the main challenges of engineering that are directly related to mechanical engineering. So it basically gives us uh u a sense of um satisfaction

  134. that we are you know we are at the forefront of making some contributions to this >> nice >> you know >> wonderful >> what inspires you >> finally what inspires you Vince >> well my inspiration comes from being released from prison and starting over so I had to do a lot of rethinking

  135. I had re uh reinvent myself and I understand how it is when you do come out from prison and you have to reinvent yourself. I want to help other pe other re-entry citizens down the line to reinvent themselves and this project is a number one way to do it because I got to help help people get jobs when

  136. they get out and plus I'm helping the environment too. That's the main thing, cleaning up the environment. uh being able to solve a problem with a a solution and that's what really gets me going. >> Nice. Well, you guys are doing some hard stuff >> and it uh it requires showing up every

  137. day and it is truly an honor to be able to show up and capture some of your story now and also capture a story uh in a moment in time where in the future you'll look back and be oh my remember when that remember when that that tick was like that, you know, remember when

  138. we had these pieces and all that. So, I'm very excited to uh to come back and see how much progress you guys >> Oh, sure. We'd love to have you come back. So, uh, if if anyone else is, uh, inspired to follow along or get in touch, what's the best way to do?

  139. >> Oh, you could get in touch. You could call me myself. Uh, go to my website at grsit technologies.com. >> Right. >> Or my cell phone number is 267-622-7643. Just give me a call. >> That's right. Give Vince a call. Talk about this technology. Thank you guys so much. That was Thank you.

  140. >> Would you like to see it running? Boom.

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