Turning tires to energy is one way to deal with the billions of tires that usually end up in landfills around the world.

每年世界各地都有數十億條輪胎被埋進掩埋場，而將輪胎轉換為能源是解決方法之一。

And it's become more popular in the last decade—industrial-scale plants popping up in China, the United States, and Canada.

而這樣的方式在近十年來變得更加熱門，各個工業規模的發電廠紛紛開始在中國、美國與加拿大出現。

The process is especially valuable in Turkey, which imports most of its oil and gas, and it contributes at least $8 million a year to Turkey's economy, according to ERA Environmental Technologies.

而這樣的作法對土耳其來說特別寶貴，因為該國大部分的石油與天然氣都是進口的，而且根據 ERA 環境科技公司的說法，這樣的發電方式每年還能為土耳其的經濟貢獻至少八百萬美元。

(Turkish) It simply looks like a tire, but is a rich resource.

(土耳其語) 看起來單純只是條輪胎，但其實內藏了豐富的資源。

Automakers produced three billion tires worldwide last year.

全球的汽車製造上在去年製造出了三十億條輪胎。

The key ingredient in most of those tires is synthetic rubber made from petroleum.

大部分輪胎中的關鍵成分是從汽油中提煉出的合成橡膠。

Basically, tires are poisonous for the environment.

基本上，輪胎對環境而言是有毒的。

Pollution from car tires washes into waterways in the Pacific Northwest, and scientists say it's killing salmon populations.

來自汽車輪胎的汙染被沖刷到了太平洋西北部的航路上，而科學家們表示這樣的污染正在削減鮭魚的數量。

And down the line, they eventually release chemicals into groundwater and air if they are left to break down in landfills.

到了最後，如果被掩埋在垃圾場中，它們還會釋放化學物質到地下水和空氣中。

So what can we do with them?

所以我們到底該怎麼處理它們？

I'm strongly in favor of anything but just landfilling them. That makes no sense whatsoever.

我強烈支持任何除了直接掩埋以外的方法。這樣做根本毫無道理。

But what you wanna do is, as responsibly as possible, get the most value out of this.

但如果真的想盡可能負責任地去做，那就要盡可能地發揮它完整的價值。

Tires can be burned to create energy, but experts say they can also be highly toxic.

輪胎能藉由燃燒來轉化為能源，但專家表示這樣做也可能釋放出高度毒性。

What I think is happening is it's all the other stuff that's put into the tire in addition to the petroleum, like the sulfur.

我覺得會變成這樣的原因，是因為輪胎在製造過程中除了汽油以外，還加了像是硫磺之類的其他添加物。

It's when you burn that that you start to get this increase in toxicity.

這就是為什麼燃燒後會產生更多的毒性。

That's where the problem is — not the petroleum, per se. It's all the other junk that's incorporated in the petroleum to make it into a tire.

這才是真正的癥結點，而不是汽油本身。真正的問題在與我們在製作輪胎時，除了汽油以外加入的那堆有的沒的東西。

So what about finding new uses for old tires?

那為這些舊輪胎找些新用途如何？

They can be used to produce cement, or ground into crumbs and shaped into mats, like the ones used in playgrounds.

它們可以用來製作水泥，或者磨碎之後做成地墊，像是在遊樂場上經常用到的那種。

In India, one startup company turns tires into fashionable sandals.

在印度，一家新創公司將輪胎轉換成了時尚的拖鞋。

Still, energy's becoming the main destination for the thousands upon thousands of tires we throw away yearly.

儘管如此，我們每年扔掉的數萬條輪胎中，仍有大多數最後被轉化為能源。

The tire-fueled power plant in Turkey recycles 20,000 tons every year.

那間位於土耳其的燃輪胎發電廠每年能回收二萬噸的輪胎。

(Turkish) We both contribute to the country's economy by generating electricity, and we also eliminate the environmental damage of the tire, one of the world's most dangerous wastes.

(土耳其語) 我們不但藉由發電來為國家的經濟做出了貢獻，還免除了輪胎對環境的傷害，而輪胎可說是世界上最危險的廢棄物之一。

First, machines use magnets to separate the thin metal wires from inside the tires.

首先，機器會利用磁鐵把輪胎內部的細金屬條分離出來。

The rubber that's left is heated to produce something called pyrolytic oil.

剩下的橡膠部分則會被加熱，並產出名為裂解油的液體。

The oil can then be burned to generate electricity.

接著裂解油則會被燃燒並產出電力。

It's still not the most environmentally friendly process overall.

這仍無法算是最環保的流程。

But it does mean that these hunks of rubber, coated in fuel and fueled with byproducts, that could have sat in landfills releasing harmful chemicals for decades,

但這確實代表這一大堆覆蓋著燃油並充滿著副產品的橡膠，本來可能得堆在掩埋場數十年並釋放出又害化學物質，

are instead powering Turkish homes and contributing to the economy.

現在卻能夠被用來為土耳其的家庭們發電，並為經濟做出貢獻。

It's really great material. I mean, after all, a little bit of it's lost by erosion on the surface of the tire.

這真的是很棒的原料。我的意思是，畢竟輪胎的表面已經有部分因為侵蝕而消失了。

And at some point, there isn't enough tread to use it before, but most of the tire is still there.

到了一定程度之後，胎紋的深度已經不足以應付之前的用途，但是整個輪胎的絕大部分還在。

So let's use all of that technology that created such a great material in the first place. Let's use it again.

所以就讓我們好好運用本來製造出這種原料的科技吧。讓我們再次好好運用它。