Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) began a join research project with American Biotech Company Kultevat to use Russian Dandelions to produce natural rubber.
Around 90% of the world’s natural rubber supply comes from Asia. In response to the financial and environmental issues involved in transporting rubber, SRI and Kultevat turn their attention to a plant that is endemic to North America.
Unlike the rubber tree that solely grows in tropical regions, Russian Dandelions can be grown almost anywhere in the world.
SRI believes that dandelions will expand rubber-producing regions to provide high-performance tyres with low-environmental impact.
“We believe that we can accelerate this process through the combination of Kultevat’s biomass technology and the proprietary technologies that the Sumitomo Rubber Group has pioneered-technologies that have already found practical applications in terms of replacing petroleum-based tire materials with fossil-resource free materials and otherwise reducing the environmental impact of our products.” said an SRI representative.