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22 May 2008
An international consortium is going to study whether it will be economically feasible In Europe to extract rubber from new crops such as the Mexican desert shrub guayule or the Russian dandelion. On Monday 19 May, rector magnificus Prof. Martin Kropff of Wageningen University officially launched the EU-Pearls project, which aims to offer a solution to the problems in the current production chain for rubber.
These problems include ‘the constant threat of a breakout of a serious fungal disease, child labour during the harvest and increasing numbers of people who turn out to be allergic to products containing natural rubber,' summarises project coordinator Dr. Hans Mooibroek of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences Group (AFSG) of Wageningen UR. ‘The European Union therefore wants to have alternative production systems for rubber.’ The four-year project, with a budget of €7.7 million, includes 12 partners from eight countries
Rubber Is a raw material with great strategic importance because it is used in many products ranging from tyres, condoms and tennis balls to surgical gloves. Although many synthetic rubbers are also being used, the properties of natural rubber are irreplaceable for a number of applications. For a number of years, the demand for rubber has been larger than the supply from the rubber tree plantations, which are located primarily in Southeast Asia. In Central and South America, where the rubber tree originates, the production of rubber has virtually come to a halt due to the serious fungus disease SALB. The disease also threatens the plantations in Asia. Moreover, rubber tree plantations are being increasingly replaced by oil palm plantations due to the flourishing trade in 'climate-neutral' palm oil.
As a result, there are many reasons to look for alternative production methods for natural rubber. Potential candidates are the desert shrub guayule and the Russian dandelion, which were also grown during World War II to produce rubber. Mooibroek: ‘Our project comprises the entire chain, from the selection and breeding of suitable cultivars, the production and processing of crops, to product development'.
For example, Plant Research International, with the aid of advanced protein analyses, will map out the biosynthesis of the latex emulsion and rubber compounds in these plants in order to optimise breeding and selection. The Wageningen company Keygene is going to apply advanced technologies for marker-supported breeding, while the role of a number of the genes involved will be studied in yeasts by the AFSG . Botanists and ecologists are going to search for interesting genetic material in the area of origin of the Russian dandelion in Kazakhstan. With other partners, PRI Is going to conduct field trials in order to optimise production under European conditions. Tyre manufacturer Vredestein and AFSG are then going to critically assess the properties of the alternative natural rubbers.
The American company Yulex Corporation, which is also participating in the project, has years of experience in the production of rubber from guayule, with which it aims to serve a growing niche market: people who are unable to wear surgical gloves or condoms made from tree rubber due to a latex allergy. / Gert van Maanen
This article has been produced by the editors of Resource, the weekly news magazine of Wageningen University and Research Centre. More information can be obtained by the press department of Wageningen UR, e-mail: pers.communicatie@wur.nl or the editorial board of Resource, e-mail: resource@wur.nl. See also the archive on http://www.resource-online.nl
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