A natural rubber alternative in dandelion roots

Writing for an industrial readership, WTiN looked at dandelion roots as a source of natural rubber and at what a second source would mean for the sectors that depend on the material.

Those sectors are not niche. Tyres are the single largest use of natural rubber worldwide. Industrial hose, drive belts and conveyor belting need elasticity and fatigue resistance that has to hold for years of continuous running. A modern vehicle carries hundreds of moulded rubber parts in seals, mounts and vibration control. Performance footwear stays with natural rubber for grip, abrasion resistance and rebound. Crumb rubber granulate, medical and industrial goods follow behind them.

None of those applications can move to a synthetic substitute without giving something up, which is why a supply gap in natural rubber turns into a specification problem rather than a purchasing one.

A second source that can be sited near the buyer, produced year round and traced end to end changes that calculation. It also makes compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation a property of the production model rather than an audit exercise laid over the top of it.