Rubber Made From Dandelions is Making Tires More Sustainable

About 65% of the rubber consumed worldwide is derived from fossil fuels. Thankfully, there are people working hard to change that. In Germany, researchers and tire companies are looking into the past to help make the future of tires more sustainable. They have developed tires made of dandelion rubber. (1)

Taraxagum: Tires Made From Dandelion Rubber

Today, there are two main ways we produce rubber: Synthetically from oil or utilizing natural rubber from the South American rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensi. The former, as we know, is responsible for pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The latter is linked with deforestation, another problem contributing to global warming. Continental Tires and the Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology in Aachen, Germany, turned to the former Soviet Union’s answer to rubber shortages in the 1930s and 40s to solve this problem. The answer? Dandelion Rubber. (1)

During the 1930s and the second world war, the USSR needed to be more self-sufficient in producing important materials such as rubber. To do this, they had to look for sources other than Hevea trees. This was when they discovered that they could make rubber from the Russian dandelion Taraxacum kok-saghyz. The bright yellow-colored weed accounted for 30% of the Soviet’s rubber supply until the end of the war. However, when the world stabilized again, they went back to using only the tree, and dandelion rubber was all but forgotten about. (1)

Bringing Back Dandelion Rubber

The tire industry uses 70% of the world’s rubber supply. This has caused companies in both North America and Europe to begin looking into a more sustainable method of obtaining rubber. Researchers particularly have a renewed interest in the Russian dandelion. (1)

Together, Continental Tires and the Fraunhofer Institute created Taraxagum: Tires made from dandelion rubber. They have successfully created bicycle tires and are hoping to have tires for trucks ready soon. (1)

“Continental Tires tested the performance of the material and said that it was brilliant — in some cases better than Hevea rubber,” said Dirk Prüfer, a plant biotechnologist on the Taraxagum team. (1)

Read: Woman Finds Way To Recycle Plastic Into Bricks That Are Stronger Than Concrete

What Makes Dandelion Rubber So Much Better?

There are a number of reasons why rubber from dandelions is more sustainable than manufactured rubber and natural Hevea rubber (2):

• Dandelions can grow nearly anywhere in any conditions
• Can be grown in poor soils and doesn’t compete with agriculture
• Requires little, if any, chemical input
• Provide a food source for bees

“In agricultural terms, dandelions are an undemanding plant, growing in moderate climates, even in the northern hemisphere, and can be cultivated on land not suitable for food production,” according to Dr. Carla Recker, who heads the Continental team involved in the development of this super material. “This means that rubber production is conceivable near our tire factories, for instance, and the significantly shorter transport routes would also reduce CO2 emissions.” (2)

Dandelion rubber is made by harvesting the plants, chopping up the roots, and then using hot water to extract the rubber. Unlike hevea rubber, which requires organic solvents that can pollute soils, the dandelions require no chemical additions. (3)

Not A Perfect Solution

While the Russian dandelion may provide us a way to make rubber more sustainably, it still doesn’t address the environmental impact of tires themselves. For one, tires shed microplastics while they are in use, which accounts for roughly 28% of the microplastic found in the ocean. Secondly, tires are difficult to recycle and are usually still tossed in the landfill when no longer used. (1)

Currently, the supply chain for dandelion rubber needs work, and there are still many areas that need to be addressed before it can take on a lion’s share of the rubber supply. On top of that, these companies will still need to attempt to change the other, still un-environmentally friendly aspects of the tire industry. Still, this is a step in the right direction. (1)

Keep Reading: The ‘8th Continent’ Is a Floating Self-Sustainable Ocean Cleaner

Sources

1. “Could rubber from dandelions make tires more sustainable?” DW.  Jack McGovan.
2. “Continental Constructing Tires From Dandelions.” Continental Tire.
3. “Natural rubber from dandelions.” Youtube. Fraunhofer.