Continental Tire is embracing the flowering weed dandelion as a key component to the future of tires. It has produced and tested the first tires where the tread is made 100 percent out of dandelion natural rubber as a polymer.
The company has named this innovative material Taraxagum, derived from the botanical name for the dandelion – taraxacum.
Continental Tire’s long-term goal is to make tire production more sustainable and less dependent on traditional raw materials. It plans to begin manufacturing consumer road tires made from dandelion-derived rubber in five to 10 years.
Rubber trees
Natural rubber is a major component of vehicle tires. Today, natural rubber is obtained almost exclusively from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) which can only be cultivated in what is referred to as the “rubber belt” around the equator. This is a fraction of the world’s land surface.
The growth cycle of a rubber tree is roughly seven years before it can start producing latex that can be used in rubber production. This rubber made from this latex is key as it has unique performance attributes that can’t be replicated in synthetic rubber, making natural rubber a must for tire production.
Market demand is outpacing production capacities, a situation that can led to unpredictable price volatility.
Russian species
Continental Tire looked to the dandelion as an alternative source of natural rubber. But not just any dandelion. Rather a specific Russian species that is the only dandelion that can be used as an alternative source for natural rubber production.
The roots of this dandelion species contain the natural rubber latex – the source for natural rubber used in tires.
That means supply will be steadier and easier to control, leading to greater price stability. This crop is also much less sensitive to weather than the rubber tree.
Initial testing has demonstrated that tires made from Taraxagum show an equivalent “property profile” when compared to tires made from conventional natural rubber.
