Goodyear is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Air Force Research Lab, BioMade, and Farmed Materials to commercialize natural rubber made from Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TK), a species of dandelion. The DOD has classified natural rubber as a strategic raw material due to its use in military, aircraft, and truck tires.
More than 90 percent of the world's natural rubber is made from rubber trees, which are primarily sourced from tropical locations outside the U.S. TK was narrowed down as a viable domestic natural rubber source from a list of 2,500 plants tested under the DOD-led program. Goodyear is joining the program after Farmed Materials’ pilot programs for TK yielded strong harvests that necessitate the need for additional planting and funding.
Rubber trees typically take seven years to produce the latex needed for rubber production, but dandelions can be harvested every six months. TK is also resilient and can grow in more temperate climates such as the U.S. Midwest, according to Goodyear.
The partners will now plant TK seeds in Ohio in the next two months, and the harvest will be used to produce military aircraft tires that will be tested at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. If additional trials yield positive results, Goodyear expects that TK-sourced rubber can be used in its commercial and military tire applications.