New fuel source: Microwaved tires

A researcher in Pennsylvania claims he's found a new source of oil, and it's right under our cars. By microwaving it inside a vacuum, Frank Pringle says he's able to break an old car tire down into ready-to-use diesel fuel. A 14-inch tire yields 1.2 gallons of diesel, 7.5 pounds of carbon black, 50 cubic feet of combustible gas and 2 pounds of high-strength steel. All of this takes about 50 cents of electricity. His process is currently being refined for large-scale use. Through the same method he's able to refine grass clippings into ethanol, extract oil from shale and create gas from coal. Pringle is also working on a way to extract usable fuels from heavily polluted river sludge, a process that could clean our industrial waterways while powering our vehicles. [Via The Daily Green]
Photo credit: Freedenizen