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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
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Published on July 9th, 2009
New Tires Made of Oil from Orange Peels
http://earth911.com/blog/2009/07/09/new-tires-made-of-oil-from-orange-peels/
by Trey Granger

Tire manufacturer Yokohama is now selling a model made with 80 percent
non-petroleum material, substituting orange oil as the primary
ingredient to make vulcanized rubber.

The new tire is called the Super E-spec™ and has already received the
Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award in 2008. Yokohama will
initially market the tire for hybrid car models such as the Toyota
Prius.

“The eco-focused dB Super E-spec mixes sustainable orange oil and
natural rubber to drastically cut the use of petroleum, without
compromising performance,” Yokohama vice president of sales Dan King
said. “It also helps consumers save money at the gas pump by improving
fuel efficiency via a 20-percent reduction in rolling resistance.”

Orange oil is considered sustainable because it is produced from a
renewable resource. The same philosophy of reducing petroleum use is
utilized in producing plastics from corn starch or vegetable oil.

Yokohama has yet to release the environmental impact of disposing
these tires, which typically provides an environmental concern. The
petroleum in traditional tires can burn for months in a landfill and
is difficult to extinguish. These fires also release black smoke and
toxins into the air. Yokohama has not specified whether the orange oil
will biodegrade over time.

The process for recycling tires involves devulcanizing the rubber,
which would essentially remove the oil and extract natural rubber.
Because this is an expensive process, used tires are often shredded
and turned into playground surfacing or additives for the soil in
sports turf. It can also be reused as artwork.

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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to
believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when
I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group
or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I
support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings
to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent
articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it
clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support
decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad
people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is
any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any
drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of
expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course
that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your
values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect
of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it".