Orange Tires

Yokohama Tire is making tires using "a processing oil that is derived from orange peels," reports Steven Ashley in the New York Times (6/20/10). Gives a whole new meaning to "peel out." Yokohama is one of a number of tire-makers finding ways to reduce the amount of petrochemicals in its products. It sources its orange peels from a nearby orange-juice factory.

The coolest part is that "the orange oil compound works to reduce rolling resistance by about a fifth over conventional treads … but in cornering and braking maneuvers it quickly generates heat that softens the rubber tread to deliver better grip." Not to be outdone, Michelin makes a tire that "uses sunflower oil in its formulation for improved traction at low temperatures and shorter braking distances in the wet."

While admirable, such efforts have far less environmental impact than simply making the tires more fuel efficient. "Only 12 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with tires arise from the raw materials and manufacturing," says Forrest Patterson of Michelin. About 86 percent is related to fuel consumption. There’s also the environmental impact of the "300 million tires that domestic drivers discard each year." The tires can be re-used for any number of purposes and "some of these recycled materials are reused in tires."