# Rubber eating bacteria! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913 "2004-10-29T20:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![merovingian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@merovingian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merovingian)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/1 "2004-10-29T20:02:21Z")
I once asked a tire technician, (I was in the car business) why, since car tires wear out, why don’t we have massive piles of rubber on the sides of our interstate highways. He told me there was some kind of rubber eating bacteria that eats all the tire dust before it piles up. My question is #1, is this true and if so what is the name and origin of the bacteria #2 if this bacteria does not exist, what DOES happen to all the atomized rubber? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/2 "2004-10-29T20:06:21Z")
I just wanted to add that when I read “rubber eating bacteria”, I thought this thread was going to be about some weird STD. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![merovingian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@merovingian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merovingian)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/3 "2004-10-29T20:17:54Z")
mind in the gutter eh? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/4 "2004-10-29T21:19:04Z")
“They destroy rubber[sup]\*[/sup] in the most efficient way possible… they EAT it!” [sup]\*[/sup]Originally ‘time.’ Langolier reference ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/5 "2004-10-29T21:57:13Z")
> [@merovingian](#): > > I once asked a tire technician, (I was in the car business) why, since car tires wear out, why don’t we have massive piles of rubber on the sides of our interstate highways. He told me there was some kind of rubber eating bacteria that eats all the tire dust before it piles up. > My question is #1, is this true and if so what is the name and origin of the bacteria > #2 if this bacteria does not exist, what DOES happen to all the atomized rubber? Hehe Read Andromeda Strain ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/6 "2004-10-29T23:07:15Z")
> [@merovingian](#): > > #2 if this bacteria does not exist, what DOES happen to all the atomized rubber? Reused in lots of other ways, generally. Some I know of personally: - rubber mats used in horse trailers are often made out of strips of old tires. - a common & well-liked footing in riding arenas is shredded rubber, made out of old tires. - old tires burn pretty well. There are power plants that burn tires to generate electricity. - there is a process that creates tarred roads out of old tires. (I have no idea how it actually works.) And sometimes they’re just thrown into huge piles in garbage dumps, where they generally get buried eventually. (And sometimes catch on fire, and burn for weeks.) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/7 "2004-10-29T23:27:40Z")
I think he’s referring to the rubber that comes off the tires of our cars. The portion of rubber that is treadwear. I doubt it aerosolizes. Otherwise our air quality would be absolute crap. What the hell does happen to that stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/8 "2004-10-29T23:43:10Z")
WAG: Tire wear is not caused primarily by _abrasion_, which would result in mounds of rubber “sand” all around the roadways, in the air and in our lungses. Tire wear is caused by \*combustion \*as the result of friction between the tire and the road. Keeping tires cool is an excellent way to reduce wear. The tires basically burn away. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rubber-eating-bacteria/271913/9 "2004-10-30T01:22:14Z")
This [paper](http://www.wiley-vch.de/books/biopoly/pdf/v02_kap10.pdf) (warning: PDF file) may be of interest > [@](#): > > Biodegradation of Natural and Synthetic Rubbers > > Introduction > > The biodegradability of various rubbers and rubber products plays an important role from the view of protecting rubber goods against biological damage and deterioration and of providing environmentally compatible solutions for the disposal and recycling of rubber waste. During the past few decades, much attention has been paid on the protective aspect, because of its economic relevance (Zyska, 1981, 1988). However, most reports regarding this topic did not make clear whether the rubber hydrocarbon itself or non-rubber constituents were biologically attacked. > > In this report, the current knowledge about the biodegradation of rubber hydrocarbon issummarized.