Making rubber from dandelions

German scientists have taken a step closer to producing large-scale natural rubber from dandelion.

The team of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Molecular and Ecological Biology in Aachen genetically modified the Russian dandelion, making it suitable for large-scale rubber production.

Germans, Russians and Americans used to produce rubber from dandelion during World War II. However, when this tree was cut, latex was often polymerized, making it difficult to mass produce. Now German researchers have identified the enzyme that affects polymerization and isolated it. ' When cutting dandelion, latex will flow out without polymerization. We obtained a quantity of plastic 4-5 times higher than normal , 'said Professor Dirk Prufer of the research team.

Dandelion grown in a greenhouse in Germany (Photo: Science Daily)

If grown on a large scale, each hectare of dandelion will provide 500-1,000 kg of latex in each growing season. Rubber produced from dandelions so far has not caused any allergies, so it is suitable for use in hospital environments. The next step of German researchers will include dandelion planting in the usual way. Professor Prufer hopes to achieve the goal set in the next 5 years.

Dandelion is not only used to produce rubber, it also produces significant amounts of insulin, a natural sweetener. Last year, scientists from the Center for Agricultural Research and Development and the Ohio (USA) Biological Products Improvement Center were provided with a $ 3 million grant to design, build a dandelion rubber processing factory.

About 30,000 products daily use natural rubber, from wheels, urinary catheters, to gloves. The world has made synthetic rubber, but this type is not as flexible as natural rubber because of its impurities.