• New resource with optimum raw material and material properties for top-rate technological products
  • Shorter transport routes, greater independence from market fluctuations, benefits for cli-mate protection
  • Striving for series production in five to ten years

Hanover, April 2016.The properties are the same, the quality remains high, and yet it is a groundbreaking revolution. Two product samples from the international technology corporation Continental have proven the effectiveness of rubber made from dandelion roots. Back in 2014, Continental brought onto the road the first sample of a premium winter tire featuring tread made from dandelion rubber. At the end of 2015, ContiTech tested the new resource named TARAXAGUM for anti-vibration technology.

TARAXAGUM - a small indication of the technological progress being made: Engine mount made with rubber from dandelion roots.
Foto:ContiTechDownload

The result was that the alternative to traditional natural rubber is ideal for vibration control elements on engines. 'That's not all. Our experts were thus able to demonstrate the required material safety for high-tech products in other industries,' says Dr. Anna Misiun, who leads the activities involving engine mounts made from dandelion rubber at ContiTech. The plant has the potential to become an alternative, environmentally friendly resource and could further reduce dependency on traditionally produced natural rubber. Not only this, but because it grows under moderate climatic conditions, it can also generate savings in CO emissions and transport costs.

Engine mounts made from dandelion rubber
 The vibration specialist Vibration Control is one of the biggest consumers of natural rubber within ContiTech. 'We rely on natural rubber for our engine mounts and vibration control elements. This is the only way that we can guarantee the outstanding properties of our products with regard to dynamics, flexibility, and service life,' states Dr. Misiun, explaining the demand situation.

Engine mounts connect the drive assembly to the body. This means they bear significant static loads, insulate the structure-borne sound of the engine, and limit the engine's movements. This prevents the passengers in the car from being shaken about, for example, or the engine from tearing off altogether in the event of an accident. 'We require additional, entirely different properties from natural rubber than our colleagues in the tire department. Our products have to withstand very large dynamic loads at high temperatures,' says Dr. Misiun, outlining the requirements of the material. The project team rigorously tested the engine mount sample and was impressed with the results: 'Rubber made from the roots of the dandelion plant is a genuine alternative to traditional natural rubber from the Hevea brasiliensis tree. Our tests gave us an even better understanding of the material. We also demonstrated the benefits that dandelion rubber can have in high-tech applications such as engine mounts' she went on to say.

From weed to crop plant
 Why is Continental investing in so much research together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), the Julius Kühn Institute, and plant-breeding company Eskusa when the product will remain the same? Up to now, traditional natural rubber has been obtained exclusively from rubber tree plantations in the world's rainforest regions - known as the rubber belt. Demand is high, but the crop cultivation process is tedious and the ecological consequences are immense. Transportation often takes the raw material halfway around the world, but there is no viable alternative for the moment.

This would change if, in the future, natural rubber with at least the same performance properties could also be obtained from dandelion roots. This is because, unlike rubber trees, it can grow under moderate climatic conditions, and could therefore be cultivated directly at production locations worldwide. The dandelion plant itself flourishes on barren, nutrient-poor land that cannot be used productively for any other crop plants. Cultivating this plant would not result in any competition with food production, and land that has previously fallen fallow could be brought back into use. 'Opening up other areas outside the rubber belt for crop cultivation may also relieve the pressure on the rainforest that is being exerted by the increasing demand for natural rubber,' explains Dr. Carla Recker, who leads the promising Research and Development project at Continental. A particular advantage compared with other rubber suppliers is the considerably shorter cultivation period of six to eight months. This could also cover short term rises in demand.

It will still take another five to ten years until the dandelion engine mounts or tires reach the series production stage and are brought onto the road. One of the biggest challenges will be obtaining the material on an industrial scale. The conditions for this are currently being established, and the research team is working to optimize the seeds and develop suitable cultivation and harvesting technology. The first farmers have been convinced to provide suitable land for cultivation of the plant in real-life conditions.

The project idea has already won numerous awards. In May 2014, the collaborative 'Rubin' project was honored with the sought-after GreenTec Award, Europe's most important environmental and business accolade, in the 'Automobility' category. In June 2015, the project's leading scientists were awarded the prestigious Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize.

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Continental AG issued this content on 25 April 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 25 April 2016 07:26:49 UTC

Original Document: http://www.continental-corporation.com/www/pressportal_com_en/themes/press_releases/4_rubber_group/contitech/pr_2016_04_25_hmi06_en.html