Ohio gives grant to study dandelion latex for tyres

ERJ staff report (DS)

Columbus, Ohio -- Ohio's department of development has authorised a $3 million grant to hep develop the production of latex from a Russian dandelion, known as Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS).

The goal of the proposed project is to establish the processing capability to produce volume quantities of TKS rubber for product validation and qualification by industrial users for a range of applications but with a primary focus on the tyre industry.

The participants in the project include The Ohio State University Research Foundation, located in Columbus Ohio (lead partner) and in collaboration with the Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center, Delta Plant Technologies, University of Akron, Bridgestone Americas Center for Technology and Research, and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.

The latex is extracted from the roots of the plant and today the yield is 10 percent to 20 percent of the root, but that is without any kind of breeding or genetic manipulation. The latex is said to be similar in properties to the latex from Hevea Brasiliensis.

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Press release from Ohio Dept of development (scroll down, or search on 'dandelion'

Dandelions to lay rubber on the road ABC Science (US)

Roots to Rubber Columbus Dispatch via BioProducts website (US)

New method will make rubber out of dandelions for less money than current methods ThaiIndian news (India)