Dandelion Rubber

Dandelions may soon replace traditional rubber plants as a source of raw materials for tires and other products. With the help of genetic engineering, scientists have succeeded in transforming the weed into an agricultural crop that can produce an abundance of natural rubber and offers many advantages over tropical and subtropical sources.

As weeds, dandelions are easy to grow just about anywhere, and are nearly infinitely renewable. Because they can be cultivated on land that is not typically suited for food crops, they can be grown in much closer proximity to production facilities, reducing transportation costs as well as environmental impact. The rubber extracted is also less affected by weather than traditional rubber trees.

A pilot facility that will be able to produce the new material in quantity is currently being built in Muenster, Germany and the first prototype tires made using dandelion rubber blends are expected to hit public roads in the next few years.