Research project idea cited for its future potential

Hanover, February 2011 – Children love them as a blowballs. For rabbits they are a gourmet delight. Dandelions have now aroused the interest of the rubber industry as well. A research team at the University of Münster has studied the latex in them and come to an amazing discovery. Dandelions produce gum elastic – equal in quality to rubber tree latex. This could make the wild herb a major source of rubber in the future. Auto parts supplier Continental has latched onto these lab results. It is now hard at work bringing this idea forward. It is a member in the consortium of research institutes and industry partners that intend to transform the idea into market products. In the federal competition "Land der Ideen" [Country of Ideas], the project has already picked up an award. ´The jury cited it as an idea with future potential.

The industry views it as something they can use in place of rubber tree latex. This would solve a major problem at the moment. Nowadays natural rubber comes from the latex of the rubber tree. Grown mainly in Southeast Asia, this tree harbors a number of problems. Worldwide demand exceeds the supply. What is more, a fungal infection threatens the rubber tree. This is not the case for synthetic rubber, though. Petroleum supplies have an impact on synthetic rubber, too. World market prices for this raw material vary greatly over time.

Dr. Dirk Prüfer, professor at the Institute for Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Münster, confirms the quality of dandelions. “The first research results clearly show Russian dandelions to produce a high-quality natural rubber. Its physical and chemical properties match up well with those of the Brazilian rubber tree. But growers would have to plant dandelions on a large scale if industry is to be able to use them to produce natural rubber. I hope that dandelions will soon number among Germany's crop plants. It is their due. The biochemists found the enzyme that governs polymerization of the plant's latex. They have managed to “switch off" this enzyme so that the latex can now flow freely and be siphoned off. That is a major step forward. Indeed, rubber makes up much of a tire. „41 percent of the ContiPremiumContact 2 passenger tire, for instance, is rubber,” confirms Alexander Lührs, head of public relations for passenger tires at Continental. Researchers feel that dandelions could some day supply a tenth of the German rubber demand. “This project is of great interest to material development," adds Dr. Boris Mergell, head of Tire Material and Process Development & Industrialization at Continental. “Success in making dandelions a source of natural rubber would enable us to respond at rather short notice to supply shifts. After all, the plant needs only one year from seeding to harvest. From the cutting of the first sod to the harvesting of the latex, setting up a run-of-the-mill rubber plantation requires roughly five to seven years.”