Could rubber from dandelions change the world as we know it?
With more and more companies searching for sustainable materials to use in their manufacturing, one old Soviet method of rubber cultivation is being revisited.
Namely, they’re starting to use dandelions to produce eco-friendly tires.
In fact, the Russian dandelion helped supply the Allied forces with rubber in the WW2. Today, its manufacturers hope it will finally make its commercial comeback.
The Russian Dandelion Is not New in Tire Manufacturing
Back in 1931, the Soviet scientists were looking for a more natural rubber source that would allow the USSR to become self-sufficient in the pivotal materials.
They looked through the vast territories of the Soviet Union and tested more than 1000 different species. They were looking for an alternative for the South American rubber tree or the Hevea brasiliensi.
And, they discovered one at the steppes of Kazakhstan. By the year of 1941, the Taraxacum koksaghyz (Russian dandelion) supplied 30 percent of their rubber.
When the war ended and supplies got back to normal, the Soviets and other countries that started cultivating it got back to the Hevea tree rubber since it was less expensive.
Needs Are Changing Again
Today, with the rubber demand continuously rising, there’s a new spark of interest for the Russian dandelion, especially by the rubber industry.
This industry consumes 70 percent of the global rubber supply.
Natural vs. Synthetic Rubber
65 percent of the rubber worldwide comes from fossil fuels. This is a cheaper synthetic rubber and it’s more hardwearing that the natural one.
However, the natural rubber is better at heat dispersion and its grip is better. So, tires are often made with a mixture of both.
90 percent of the natural rubber is acquired from the Southeast Asia Hevea plantations, which have been associated with deforestation. So, the reasons for finding a suitable alternative are both environmental and commercial.
The Development of the Dandelion
In recent years, Europe and US projects have been focused on a fresh attempt to make dandelion rubber viable for commercial purposes.
One collaboration is the Taraxagum between the Continental Tires and the Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology in Aachen, Germany.
According to a plant biotechnologist from this team, the performance of the material was tested by Continental Tires and they said it was amazing and even better in some cases than the Hevea rubber.
Unlike the rubber tree, the Russian dandelion grows in temperate climates.
It has been developed in Belgium, Kazakhstan, and the Netherlands. The good news is that this dandelion can thrive in relatively poor soil so it doesn’t have to compete with agriculture.
The team even researched if former industrial sites with heavy pollution could be viable.
When the dandelions are harvested, they go through a hot-water extraction to divide the rubber. This is when the roots are chopped and water is added. Then, it’s heated up, but there’s no need of using chemicals in this process.
This is opposite to the extraction of the Hevea that demands for organic solvents and results in chemical waste which is also a hazard if it’s not adequately disposed.
The Impact on the Environment Isn’t Zero
Although the production of tires might be greener by using this dandelion, it doesn’t better the tires’ environmental footprint when they leave the factory.
Namely, as they’re being used, tires shed microplastics that ends up in the air and then in the oceans. And, microplastics pollution in oceans is a serious issue and one study found it amounts up to 100,000 metric tons yearly.
Moreover, when they’re disposed, most of them go into landfills due to the mix of rubbers making them hard for recycling.
Despite challenges, those who support the use of the Russian dandelion note that with the demand rising, it’s necessary to have a rubber source which doesn’t rely on looking into new forest areas.
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