| ECOLOGY |
Tires could tidy up golf courses A University of Wisconsin, Madison, student was playing a round of golf with his professor when inspiration struck. From prior work, civil and environmental engineering professor Jae K. (Jim) Park knew that scrap tires absorb toxic organic compounds like a sponge. When Park noticed signs warning that the golf course had been treated with pesticide, he suggested to graduate student Robert D. Lisi that old tires could be used to capture pesticide and fertilizer runoff from the course. Lisi subsequently tested the absorption capacity of ground tires for fertilizer--specifically nitrate--and found that the tire material would make an environmentally beneficial substitute for the pea gravel that is used as one layer beneath traditional courses. Park says the tire layer could remain in place for years without becoming saturated because microorganisms on the rubber surface use the absorbed organic compounds as food. The researchers will provide details of their work in an upcoming issue of Waste Management. |
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