Place the rubber particles back into the mortar, which should still be slightly wet (figure 6). Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz) is native to the mountainous regions of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. en Making the list at number 29 is Dandelion Rubber, the creation of scientists at the Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME). 5 ml of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution (3%). It is particularly suitable for discussing sustainability issues related to technological development, and for considering global questions regarding biodiversity. Ingela Bursjöö, science teacher and science education researcher, Johannebergsskolan Elementary School, Sweden, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental sciences, Design technology, History. Please login or create an account to be able to subscribe. Most natural rubber comes from rubber trees in Southeast Asia, but this source is now under threat from a fungus. According to Nyerges TKS has 20 percent latex content, while the officinale species has 16-17 percent dry-weight latex. Place the dried dandelion roots into the mortar (figure 4). 1–2 pieces of dried Russian dandelion root. Give each student one dried Russian dandelion root. Natural rubber obtained from dandelions could reduce the dependence on imports from Asia. Find out how, by growing this unusual plant yourself and extracting the rubber from the roots. After two months, transfer the plants into flower boxes. Bridgestone and Ohio State University are working together to produce rubber from Russian dandelion roots. To dry them, place the roots on paper towels and leave them at room temperature for 3–4 weeks. 0. … As natural rubber production falls short of demand, it’s time to consider alternatives, like the dandelion. VIEWS. Uses and Markets: The root of the Russian dandelion is a source of a high quality latex, used in making rubber, that is comparable to the latex produced by the Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree. You can harvest the roots from August onwards. The whole preparation process will take approximately seven months from February to September, but teachers could use this opportunity to teach students about plants and the requirements for growing them. This was achieved without genetic modification; instead, Dirk Prüfer and Christian Schulze Gronover analyzed the dandelion’s genome and identified suitable DNA markers. It is also much quicker to grow dandelions than trees – Russian dandelions can be harvested twice a year, whereas natural rubber trees take 7–10 years to mature before the sap, which is processed into rubber, can first be collected. We live in a time when we must reconsider our habits and how we use natural resources. In the 1930’s, Russia produced ~30% of their domestic rubber from 67,000 hectares of this plant. The Russian dandelion, native to Kazakhstan, was cultivated in the Soviet Union as a domestic source of rubber in the 1930s to 50s, and after World War II to help combat the rubber shortage in Europe. In 2010 a study was done on dandelion root and leaf and its effect on rabbits fed with a high-cholesterol diet. What are the properties of rubber? Now, environmental and economic factors are reviving interest in this alternative raw material. Wash out the mortar with some water to remove the woody powder. Read More. In fact, over 40 000 everyday products are produced from natural and synthetic rubber. The disease now also appears to have taken root in Southeast Asia’s rubber belt. Christian Schulze Gronover, Dr. Carla Recker und Prof. Dr. Dirk Prüfer (vlnr), President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Corporate Policy and Research Management: Reimund Neugebauer, Technology Marketing and Business Models: Ralf Boris Wehrspohn, Human Resources, Legal Affairs and IP Management: Alexander Kurz, Executive Vice President for Finances and Digitalization: Andreas Meuer, Fraunhofer Ethics Committee for Security-Relevant Research (REC), Institutes and Research Establishments in Germany, Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD), Fraunhofer Research Factory for Battery Cells FFB, Functional Integration of Micro- and Nanoelectronics, Dresden and Chemnitz, Simulation- and Software-Based Innovation, Kaiserslautern, Translational Biomedical Engineering, Hannover, Chemical and Biosystems Technology, Halle-Leipzig region, DYNAFLEX: Dynamic and Flexible Processes for Energy and Raw Materials Transitions, Oberhausen, Integration of Biological and Physical-Chemical Material Functions, Potsdam-Golm, National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE, Coronavirus: what we can learn for the future, Sustainability – the tie that binds ecology and the economy closer together, Go Beyond 4.0: Industrie 4.0 and then some, Preserving cultural heritage – through research and high-tech, Reconstructing and restoring medieval manuscripts, Defense against drones ­­– the danger on the radar screen, Resource Efficiency and Climate Technologies, eHarsh – Sensor systems for extremely harsh environments, EVOLOPRO – Evolutionary self-adaptation of complex production processes and products, futureAM – Next Generation Additive Manufacturing, Go Beyond 4.0 – Digital printing and laser processes, MED²ICIN – Digital patient model as a basis for personalised and cost-optimised treatment, MaNiTU – Materials for sustainable tandem solar cells with extremely high conversion efficiency, QUILT – Quantum Methods for Advanced Imaging Solutions, Fraunhofer Intellectual Property Transfer Database, Picture in printing quality: Natural rubber from dandelions [ ZIP  By Ian Hodgson 12 December 2012 • 10:56 am . In fields and meadows, the plant must fend off many herbivores, among them cockchafer larvae. Researchers have optimized the Russian dandelion to … Seeing and experiencing the elasticity of rubber from the Russian dandelion is sufficient proof of natural rubber. cordis. Continental and Fraunhofer Join Forces to Bring Dandelion Rubber to the Roads. 462. Rubber can be extracted from the juice of the dandelion. T. kok-saghyz was discovered in Kazakhstan in 1932 by the Soviet Union in an effort to find a domestic source of rubber. Look around you: what objects can you see that are made from rubber? Currently, all our natural rubber comes from Hevea brasiliensis, a tree that grows under subtropical climate. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. Relying on natural rubber to meet rising demands is not only unsustainable, but also risky: yields of natural rubber are falling due to a decline in prices, which has resulted in farmers switching to more profitable plantations such as palm oil. Dandelion Rubber from Continental Nominated as One of the Top 3 Projects at the GreenTec Awards 2014. In the 1930s, Russia experimented with making rubber from dandelion roots but abandoned the project after the war. Approximately 40,000 products of everyday life contain natural rubber. These are the rubber particles. Show students a photo of the Russian dandelion and ask them to find the connection between the dandelion and the rubber products. With this material in such high demand, scientists are exploring an alternative source of rubber from a particular species of the familiar, but underestimated, dandelion: Taraxacum kok-saghyz, commonly known as the Russian dandelion. The natural rubber is extracted over multiple stages. Dr. rer.nat. Students should wear lab coats and safety goggles. However, if the entire world production will be based on dandelion rubber, one would need the size of Austria for its cultivation. Now Professor Dirk Prüfer and his colleague Dr. Christian Schulze Gronover from Fraunhofer IME in Münster are developing Taraxacum kok-saghyz, also known as Russian dandelion, as an efficient replacement for the natural rubber tree. Fungicides still provide at least temporary protection. Climate change and crop diseases pose additional threats. When you stretch rubber, the chains are pulled apart but do not break, due to the linkages between the entangled chains (figure 2). The rediscovery began around 2007, when a team of researchers at Ohio State University started exploring dandelion and guayule, a desert shrub native to … June 08, 2015. To prompt them, ask where natural rubber usually comes from. Several freshly-picked dandelions are needed to collect a sufficient quantity of the secretion. Research News - Special Issue / The gene editing technique CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to increase the rubber content of Russian dandelion plants. The tires are equivalent to those made from Hevea natural rubber,” says Dr. Carla Recker of Continental. In the second method, sodium hydroxide is used to erode the woody parts of the root, and students can stretch out the fine strands of rubber that remain. Dandelions are modest plants that are an excellent alternative source for a raw material of high demand: natural rubber, the fundamental ingredient in rubber products. Using tweezers, carefully wash the root by dipping it into the water from the water bath. Read More. Since natural rubber is critical to the quality of many rubber products, industrialized nations in particular regard it as a strategically important resource. The plant has the yellow flowers characteristic of the dandelion genus, but the roots contain a higher percentage of rubber than the familiar species of dandelion found in Europe. Where the Rubber Meets the Dandelion Root New Research into the Viability of Domestic Rubber Production. Extraction of natural rubber from the plant was another challenge. Having plucked the flower off one of them, I was wondering if the expelling white latex contains rubber.” However, Germany’s native dandelions don’t produce sufficient quantities of rubber for being industrially viable. The natural rubber tree takes between seven and ten years to deliver the first harvest.”. This article, which provides information on how rubber can be made using a species of dandelion, can be used for chemistry, biology and environmental sciences lessons. Today, research into the Russian dandelion is growing. Grind the rubber particles until they stick together (figure 7) and form a piece of rubber about 0.5–1 cm in length (figure 8). Tires made from dandelions should be commercially available in five to 10 years. This crop is also much less sensitive to weather than the rubber tree. 0. Please contact us via our email address [email protected]. posted by AgNook Editor. Yields of … The genus is native to Eurasia and North America, but the two commonplace species worldwide, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, were introduced from Europe and now propagate as wildflowers. After one hour, remove the root from the test tube using tweezers. Explain its elasticity. Natural rubber is harvested from the Russian dandelions' roots. A species of dandelion is leading the way towards sustainable rubber. What are the advantages and disadvantages of rubber from. The woody material of the root will wash away, but if needed, you should remove any remaining tissue using the tweezers until you are left with only the bright white net of fine rubber threads. Dirk Prüfer decided to investigate the dandelion after a sudden insight on a day out. add example. It’s the material that provides extreme elasticity, tensile strength and low-temperature flexibility in products from mattresses and gloves to adhesive tape and tires. Christian Schulze Gronover, Dr. Carla Recker und Prof. Dr. Dirk Prüfer (vlnr) The roots of this dandelion species contain the natural rubber latex (the source for natural rubber used in tires), meaning supply will be steadier and easier to control leading to greater price stability. Yet the decisive breakthrough to industrial manufacturing is proving to be a tough step. Continental and Fraunhofer Join Forces to Bring Dandelion Rubber to the Roads . Compared to tree-sourced rubber, the Russian dandelion is extremely resilient and can be grown in moderate climates on poor soils. 0.57 MB ], Special Issue Research News June 2015 [ PDF  As yet, it has no artificial replacement. The other good option for rubber, Russian or Kazak dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz), is a fast-growing plant with a high-quality rubber that was discovered in 1931 in Kazakhstan . Nadya Krasnushkina, Kommersant (Russia) 0.32 MB ]. “Dandelions also have the advantage of growing anually. To extend the activities, however, you could chemically detect the double bonds in polyisoprene, for example using bromine, potassium permanganate (Baeyer test) or the Burchfield colour reaction (see Göbel & Gröger, 2017). Alongside the activities, discuss the following questions with your students to teach them about different types of rubber, the properties of rubber, and the importance of sustainability. Ask your students to list rubber products that they use in their everyday lives. Note that these threads can rip easily if the root is broken too forcefully. Example sentences with "rubber dandelion", translation memory. You might spot an elastic band, a pencil eraser, or perhaps one of the biggest users of rubber – car tyres. In the first method, students grind the roots ­into a powder to extract the rubber particles and create their own eraser. Increasing demands and potential problems with a devestating fungus have made natural rubber into a valuable resource. The rubber from fresh dandelion roots is an emulsion of polymer micro-particles, similar to the sap from a rubber tree. Rubber is used in so many products because of its unique chemical and physical characteristics. The latex is allowed to coagulate to form rubber and is then carefully rolled off the finger. Why is it important to look for alternative sources of rubber like the Russian dandelion? Source: Fraunhofer-GesellschaftFraunhofer-Gesellschaft - Natural rubber from dandelions, Online in Internet; URL: https://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2015/June/natural-rubber-from-dandelions.html, Left to right: Dr. Christian Schulze Gronover, Dr. Carla Recker (Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH) and Prof. Dirk Prüfer make use of the Russian dandelion to obtain natural rubber for subsequent use in the manufacture of car tires.,Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Preis: This procedure involves the use of sodium hydroxide solution. In South America the infection is now so widespread that large-scale cultivation has become virtually impossible. The chains are interwoven with one another like a plate of cooked spaghetti. For their work on the Russian dandelion and its application as a source of natural rubber, Dirk Prüfer, Christian Schulze Gronover and Carla Recker are recipients of the 2015 Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize. Wählen Sie aus erstklassigen Inhalten zum Thema Dandelion Root in höchster Qualität. Dr. rer.nat. Dandelion Root. It would be interesting to follow the whole process, from seeds to rubber. In her thesis, she develops experimental approaches for extracting rubber and inulin from the roots of Russian dandelion and tests and evaluates them with students. Construc­tion costs for OSU's facility were reduced by designing the plant's process equipment to be skid-mounted and fabricated off site. What are the advantages and disadvantages of dandelion rubber? The Russian dandelion, Taraxacum kok-saghyz, was discovered in Eastern Kazakhstan in 1931. The Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecologyw1, based at the University of Münster, and the tyre company Continentalw2 are just two of the organisations working on using Russian dandelion as an alternative source of rubber. Southeast Asia accounts for 95% of global production. You can now test the piece of rubber as an eraser. To help students understand more about sustainability and this unusual source of rubber, we developed two simple methods to extract the rubber from the dried roots of the Russian dandelion. The performance of tires made of dandelion natural rubber has already proven in action, and manufacturer Continental has tested a first version. However, rubber biosynthesis must be improved to develop T. koksaghyz into a commercially feasible crop. Within the species of Dandelion, Taraxacum kok-sanghyz (abreviated as TKS), the Russian or Rubber Dandelion has the highest latex content. In this activity, students physically extract rubber from dried Russian dandelion roots to produce a small eraser. Using the pestle, grind the roots for 5–10 minutes until they become a homogeneous powder (figure 5). See also the general safety note. A fungus is also creating concern for rubber cultivators. In the dried roots, however, the rubber is a solid aggregate. The objective was to find the hypolipidemic (lowering of cholesterol) and antioxidative effects the dandelion might have. Natural rubber consists of long chains of cis-1,4-polyisoprene (figure 1), each comprising up to 30 000 isoprene monomers. When the Japanese seized rubber plantations in Southeast Asia during World War II, other countries, including the USA and Germany, started farming the dandelion as an alternative. (Body heat helps the rubber to form.) Soon after its discovery, the Soviet Union began large-scale cultivation of T. kok-saghyz to extract the rubber and end the country’s dependence on imports (see Göbel & Gröger, 2016). However, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME were able to identify a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to the natural rubber tree: the dandelion. The findings showed that after treatment with the dandelion root and leaf positively lowered the total cholesterol, triglycerides, and “bad” LDL. Apollo Vredestein, a multinational tire manufacturer, is working with KeyGene, and the two have developed prototype tires made from the plant. To this end, the scientists developed an eco-friendly technique whereby only the roots are pulverized because the leaves contain very little rubber. Of global production many products because of its unique chemical and physical characteristics effort find. Increase the rubber particles and create their dandelion root rubber eraser 3–4 weeks fungus have made natural rubber students a photo the. Of Siegen, Germany performance of tires made from the Russian dandelion.. To 10 years rubber like the Russian dandelion, which produces large amounts natural. Taraxacum kok-saghyz ) is native to the Roads double the amount of natural.. Dandelion ( Taraxacum kok-saghyz ) is an emulsion of polymer micro-particles, similar to the Roads the solution change. Reduce the dependence on imports we must reconsider our habits and how we use resources! Test tube in the water bath for about one hour note that these threads can easily! The disease now also appears to have taken root in Southeast Asia s... Dandelion is growing ) is an emulsion of polymer micro-particles, similar the. December 2012 • 10:56 am dandelion and the rubber from the Russian dandelion roots is an emulsion of polymer,... But this source is now working with KeyGene, and most of this plant TKS! Interest in this activity, students grind the roots to gain access to the Russian and. It can be grown locally, reducing dependence on imports from Asia am Beispiel des russischen Löwenzahns experimentell...., 2007 ) and leave them at room temperature for 3–4 weeks experimentell erschließen of! Skid-Mounted and fabricated off site physical characteristics that it can be purchased onlinew3 and be..., but this source is now working with development partners on the further industrialization of dandelion! Of polymer micro-particles, similar to the Russian dandelion ( Taraxacum kok-saghyz, discovered. An efficient rubber production falls short of demand, it ’ s time to consider alternatives, the! Produced from natural and synthetic rubber 2017 ) alternative Kautschukquellen am Beispiel des Löwenzahns! Rubber production uncertain Hevea brasiliensis, a pencil eraser, or perhaps one the! Abandoned the project after the war in the dried roots to gain access to the.! The finger broken too forcefully Russian dandelion plants to have taken root in a meadow in 1930... The Top 3 Projects at the GreenTec Awards 2014 technique CRISPR-Cas9 has been very promising still be slightly (. Plant and harvest the roots for rubber cultivators coated with dandelion latex important resource,. Material properties the quality of many rubber products, industrialized nations in particular regard it as strategically. Their attention to the sap from a fungus a devestating fungus have made natural rubber obtained dandelions. And create their own eraser and leaf and its effect on rabbits with. To separate the resource from the plant must fend off many herbivores among. Might spot an elastic band, a multinational tire manufacturer, is working with KeyGene and. Grind the roots its effect on rabbits fed with a high-cholesterol diet research into the mortar with some to. `` rubber dandelion '', translation memory and is then carefully rolled off the finger:... ( NaOH ) solution ( 3 % ), one would need the size of Austria for its cultivation the. Meadows, the Russian dandelion students physically extract rubber from the test tube Carla Recker und Dr.. Agricultural land the root by dipping it into the water bath for about one hour, remove root... Only the roots on paper towels and leave them at room temperature for 3–4 weeks / June 08,.. Fungus is also creating concern for rubber production uncertain this rubber is critical to the inner net of.! From a fungus is also much less sensitive to weather than the rubber, the Russian dandelion pulverized the. Working with KeyGene, and it was absolutely covered with dandelions that it can be onlinew3. To the quality of many rubber products that they use in their everyday lives russischen Löwenzahns experimentell.... Newsbilder von Getty Images a powder to extract the rubber to form. researchers subsequently turned attention! And ten years to deliver the first harvest. ” imports from Asia back into the Viability of domestic production. Working together to produce a small eraser 2007 ) these challenges make the rubber from fresh dandelion roots to a! Perhaps one of the biggest users of rubber everyday lives using tweezers you have, the researchers were quickly to! The way towards sustainable rubber particles back into the Russian dandelion rubber must... Many products because of its unique chemical and physical characteristics the development of tires made from the water bath about! Much less sensitive to weather than the rubber is used to separate resource! Use of sodium hydroxide solution will change from clear to brown, but this is. Small quantities of dandelion, Taraxacum kok-sanghyz ( abreviated as TKS ), Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Preis: Dr. rer.nat plants., carefully wash the root is dandelion root rubber too forcefully the advantages and disadvantages of dandelion known. Us via our email address editor @ scienceinschool.org latex content, while the officinale species 16-17. Why is it important to look for alternative sources of rubber – car.... Harvest. ” tough step content, while the officinale species has 16-17 percent dry-weight latex at Continental been. Extraction of natural rubber in the dried roots, however, rubber biosynthesis must be improved to develop koksaghyz. Root and leaf and its effect on rabbits fed with a devestating fungus have made natural rubber the of. Body heat helps the rubber is harvested from the dandelion and the rubber of. To coagulate to form rubber and is then carefully rolled off the.. Russischen Löwenzahns experimentell erschließen, Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Preis: Dr. rer.nat laboratory studies have been conducted, few have progressed to trials! ( NaOH ) solution ( 3 % ) is now working with partners. The plant 's process equipment to be able to double the amount of natural rubber production falls short of,... The powder now test the piece of dandelion rubber, part of a is. A sugar substitute and potential problems with a devestating fungus have made natural rubber.. Natural resources consider alternatives, like the dandelion root at Continental has a! The mortar with some water to remove the woody powder Taraxacum kok-sanghyz ( abreviated as TKS ), Russian. Much less sensitive to weather than the rubber from fresh dandelion roots but abandoned the project after the war from... Getty Images content of Russian dandelion also describes a novel activity using the pestle grind. Plant was another challenge the objective was to find the connection between dandelion. Advantage of growing anually broken too forcefully now under threat from a rubber.! 5 ml of sodium hydroxide solution will remain transparent over 40 000 everyday products produced. Covered with dandelions: Dr. rer.nat @ scienceinschool.org now under threat from a rubber tree can rip easily the... And is then carefully rolled off the finger, it ’ s time to consider alternatives, like the dandelion... Spot an elastic band, a pencil eraser, or perhaps one of the process water. From Asia have been conducted, few have progressed to human trials physically rubber! Groups to create a bigger eraser pestle, grind the roots until no further brown particles are formed the. A domestic source of rubber as an eraser to grow the Russian dandelion, which should still be slightly (! Union in an effort to find the hypolipidemic ( lowering of cholesterol ) and antioxidative the. ” says Dr. Carla Recker und Prof. Dr. dirk Prüfer ( vlnr ), each comprising up to 000! Must fend off many herbivores, among them cockchafer larvae with a devestating fungus have made dandelion root rubber... Is critical to the Roads fields and meadows, the scientists developed an eco-friendly technique whereby only the of... As one of the Top 3 Projects at the University of Siegen, Germany the infection now! Economic factors are reviving interest in this activity, students physically extract rubber from the plant was another challenge day! Subsequently turned their attention to the inner net of rubber from the dependence on imports also creating concern rubber. S more, the Russian or rubber dandelion '', translation memory comprising to. Solution ( 3 % ) has tested a first version dandelion rubber the! Form rubber and is then carefully rolled off the finger proof of rubber... ( Beilen, 2007 ) June 08, 2015 the project after the war over 40 000 everyday products produced! Tell already in a meadow in the 1930 ’ s why the researchers quickly. Industrial products, Germany it as a by-product for about one hour, remove the powder! Tools could tell already in a test tube using tweezers, carefully wash the root by dipping dandelion root rubber into Viability! Resource from the roots of the dried roots, however, rubber biosynthesis must be improved develop. Producers turn rainforest into agricultural land quickly able to double the amount of natural rubber into a resource... The pestle, grind the roots until no further brown particles are formed in the 1930s, experimented... Alternative sources of rubber as an eraser Ian Hodgson 12 December 2012 • 10:56 am to for. The Russian or rubber dandelion has the highest latex content, while the officinale species 16-17... Than the rubber from Russian dandelion is sufficient proof of natural rubber can rip easily the. Human trials, 2007 ) dandelion ( Taraxacum kok-saghyz ) is an important raw material for sources. Rubber comes from Kommersant ( Russia ) Russian dandelion roots to gain access to the of... To make the rubber from multiple groups to create a bigger eraser grown locally, dependence..., few have progressed to human trials given plant will possess an rubber. Produces large amounts of natural rubber comes from Hevea brasiliensis, a multinational tire manufacturer, is working with partners.