The first agriculture tyre made from agricultural cultivated crops may be well underway as tests by Mitas will be underway.
The goal is to have the first prototype of the dandelion tyre during 2015. Mitas is also involved in the Drive4EU project researching the possibilities of using rubber from the Kazakh dandelion.
Rubber extracted from the Taraxacum koksaghyz (Kazakh dandelion) will complement rubber tree latex in the compound of agriculture tyres produced by Mitas.
“We are examining different ways to use natural and renewable materials to produce our tyres,” said Andrew Mabin, Mitas’ sales and marketing director. “Our research and development department is actively seeking new ways of improving our manufacturing process which includes researching new raw materials or substitutes. We are one of several tyre manufacturers researching the benefits of the Kazakh dandelion in producing a more sustainable rubber for our tyres.”
Cultivation of the Taraxacum koksaghyz as a rubber-producing crop is one of the innovative ways of extracting rubber. As part of the Drive4EU project, Mitas is responsible for testing the characteristics and features of ‘rubber’ derived from the plant. The objective is to find a new source of rubber with the same or better characteristics than those of the rubber tree.
Mitas is one of Europe’s leading producers of agricultural tyres. It manufactures and sells tyres under three brand names and operates three production plants in the Czech Republic, one in Serbia and one in the USA, and maintains a global sales and distribution network.