Where the rubber meets the road.

Could the next fuel used to power your car come from the vehicle's old tires? That's the idea behind an ongoing University of Southern Mississippi research project that could eventually translate into price reductions at the pump.

The research team is testing a process of converting scrap tires into hybrid fuels with a USM-designed instrument called the WOMBAT Reactor, which breaks down tires into particles and mixes them with agricultural waste. But in order to produce a significant amount of fuel, the equipment and facilities will eventually have to be much larger, said chemistry professor emeritus David L. Wertz. "We would like to partner with a company, such as an agricultural co-op, and increase the production of the fuel so that we can actually use it to create energy."

The United States generates about 280 million scrap tires a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. "Because scrap tires provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents, there is a higher number of cases of West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis in those areas [around scrap tire stockpiles]," Wertz said. "We can reduce waste and incidents of fatal illness if we clean up these stockpiles and use the tires to produce fuel. Furthermore, the fuel we produce from tires is cleaner than fuel generated from coal because it has less sulfur, an ingredient which causes a lot of pollution."

The high price of gasoline is creating a renewed interest in and demand for alternative fuels, so USM researchers say their work could expand significantly. "Many kinds of agriculture can be used in this process, including corn, sweet potato, cotton, swine manure, and even some municipal waste," Wertz said.