Rubber Made From Dandelions

These flowering plants may revolutionize the rubber industry. Russian dandelions have been found to be a viable source of natural rubber. Currently, 95% of rubber comes from rubber trees in Asia, causing mass deforestation.

Researchers from Fraunhofer IME in Munster are developing the dandelion as a replacement. Dandelions have a consistency equal to that of standard rubber sold in today's market. They grow annually and can also be cultivated in soil that is unsuitable for crops.

Precision breeding of the plants can double the amount of rubber available to harvest.Large scale extraction of the dandelion will compensate for additional demand in the future.