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The sticky latex (top left and bottom) from the root of a Russian
dandelion (right)
is seen as an alternative to natural rubber.
PHOTO: www.igb.fraunhofer.de
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WHEELS
last year reported on a project to turn the sap from Russian dandelions into
tyres, and last week the main drivers of the project were honoured with the
GreenTec Award 2014.
Continental and the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and
Applied Ecology (IME) at the University of Münster have co-developed a project
dubbed Rubin in German — for Industrial Emergence of Natural Rubber from
Dandelion.
The GreenTec Awards, of which there are 14 different categories,
are Europe’s biggest environmental and business awards, and were first presented
in 2008.
“We are very pleased to receive this award for our dandelion rubber
project. Continental is pushing a very promising technology, the full potential
of which will fully unfold in the next few years.
“In view of increasing levels of motorisation in growth markets
such as Asia, we expect a major increase in demand for natural rubber in the
future. We are convinced that the use of rubber from dandelion root will make
our tyre production considerably more efficient and sustainable,” said Nikolai
Setzer, member of the executive board of Continental and head of Tyre
Division.
“In the Rubin project, we are working to find an ecologically,
economically, and socially viable solution to meet this growing demand,” added
Dr Andreas Topp, vice president Material and Process Development and
Industrialisation Tyres at Continental.
Continental and IME are currently working on the industrial use of
Russian dandelion, which is said to be very rubber-rich and does not need a
tropical climate in contrast to regular rubber trees. This undemanding plant can
be cultivated in a number of temperate regions on what is known as “marginal
land” that was previously unusable in terms of agriculture.
Topp said: “Dandelion rubber will shorten transport routes to our
production sites and enable the growing global demand for rubber to be met
without sacrificing more precious areas of rainforest. Both these factors will
have a sustainably positive effect on the world’s carbon footprint and on
biodiversity.”
Dr Carla Recker, project manager and in charge of materials
chemistry in the Continental Tyre Division, emphasises: “In addition to
persuading the jury of the GreenTec Awards, this positive environmental impact
also motivates and encourages us in our work on this long-term and challenging
undertaking.”
With sales of around €33,3 billion (R483 billion) in 2013,
Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier
of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis,
instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and
technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and
global climate protection.
Continental currently employs more than 182 000 people in 49
countries.
