Boosting Domestic Rubber Production

By Liz Stevens, writer, Inside Rubber

Following the supply chain and shipping/freight meltdowns early in the COVID pandemic, manufacturers have been taking steps to prevent similar snags in the future and to mitigate the impact of disruptions that might otherwise hobble industry and commerce. The steps toward re-shoring production, locking in alternative sourcing and lining up more options for shipping now are being combined with trends toward sustainability, natural resource protection and creating a circular economy.

The rubber industry is fully on board. With natural latex rubber an off-shore and unpredictable material source and petroleum-based synthetic elastomers falling out of favor with consumers, industry leaders and high-profile partners increasingly are exploring innovative new sources for rubber compounding materials.

“We are less than 10 years away from demand [for natural rubber] exceeding supply,” stated Angela Campo, research chemist at AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and deputy program manager for BioMADE.

“The Air Force needs a secure supply chain of natural rubber. As we saw during COVID, many shutdowns occurred where many countries were no longer shipping items. Eventually, that picked back up, but we don’t ever want to be in that position of not having a consistent supply of critical materials,” Campo said.[1]

Case in Point: Lawn Weeds

The US Air Force Research Laboratory, in collaboration with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., BioIndustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE) and Farmed Materials, is mounting a multimillion-dollar project to explore using a dandelion species as a domestic source of natural rubber for use in aircraft tire production.

Kok-saghyz, referred to as TK, TKS, Kazakh dandelion, rubber root or Russian dandelion, is an Eastern European native that yields high quality rubber when its roots are crushed. The objective of the US-based team is to cultivate and harvest the species here during a multiyear program, strengthening the domestic stockpile of natural rubber. BioMADE has subcontracted Farmed Materials for its TK crops, which will be used by Goodyear to manufacture aircraft tires to meet Air Force specs, lessening the nation’s dependence on imported natural rubber.

Case in Point: Tumbleweeds

Dandelions are not the only emerging agricultural source for natural rubber. A desert shrub called guayule, which can yield an alternative to natural rubber, has caught the attention of the US Department of Agriculture. The USDA has recruited Bridgestone Americas for a project to cultivate and scale up guayule farming in the arid US southwest to some 25,000 acres of farmland for planting and harvesting. Guayule is a perennial woody shrub native to the US/Mexico Chihuahuan Desert.

Per “Bridgestone Wins $35M USDA Climate-Smart Grant to Further Advance Guayule Natural Rubber Production,” published by Sustainable Brands, “Bridgestone Americas was awarded a $35 million climate-smart grant by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to further cultivate and scale the use of desert shrub guayule as a sustainable way to expand natural rubber production in the US.”

“Part of the USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative, the $35 million investment in guayule will allow Bridgestone to expand natural rubber production in the Southwestern US with lowered greenhouse gas emissions and water use for growers amid the ongoing regional water crisis – and creating jobs in the region for local farmers and Native American tribes to build a rubber bioeconomy based on climate-smart and sustainable practices.”

“The viability of guayule as a sustainable, domestically produced alternative to imported tropical rubber – an industry rife with deforestation, carbon emissions and human rights abuses also has been explored by Ford and fellow tire maker Cooper; as well as companies including Patagonia, for use in wetsuits.”[2]

Case in Point: Conifers, Upbeat Blossoms and a Starchy Staple

Southeast Asia’s Goodyear Malaysia has engineered unique concept tires in partnership with French car maker Citroen for its electric and sustainably-manufactured concept car, the EV. Goodyear’s tire, the Eagle GO, is made by combining natural rubber with sunflower oils, rice husk ash silica and pine tree resins, among other ingredients.

According to Citroen, the Eagle GO concept tire can be renewed twice during its lifetime and can achieve a lifespan up to 310,000 miles.[3] Since the US has plenty of pine trees, sunflower crops and rice cultivation, the Goodyear-Citroen innovation in sustainable, agricultural-sourced tire material may gain traction in this country, too.

The participation of industry leaders in these initiatives reflects a commitment to expanding the domestic production of natural rubber as well as industry support for sustainable manufacturing. n

References:

1. Bennet, Jamie. “AFRL, Partners Eye Dandelion Species as Natural Rubber Source for Producing Aircraft Tires,” executivegov.com. November 29, 2022. https://executivegov. com/2022/11/afrl-eyes-dandelion-species-as-source-ofrubber-for-producing-aircraft-tires/

2. “Bridgestone Wins $35M USDA Climate-Smart Grant to Further Advance Guayule Natural Rubber Production,” Sustainable Brands. November 18, 2022. https:// sustainablebrands.com/read/chemistry-materials-packaging/ bridgestone-wins-35m-usda-climate-smart-grant-to-furtheradvance-guayule-natural-rubber-production

3. “Goodyear, BASF help Citroen take sustainability ‘to next level,” European Rubber Journal. October 4, 2022. https:// www.european-rubber-journal.com/article/2092154/ goodyear-basf-help-citroen-take-sustainability-to-next-level