Guayule studied as possible alternative to rubber

PanAridus, a company that grows drought-tolerant crops, is giving out the first samples of its new rubber product to tire manufacturers.

In 2009, the company began cultivating guayule, a plant that is being considered as an environmentally-friendly alternative for natural rubber in tires. The entire plant can be used to make rubber and the resins or cellulosic feedstock can be used for biomass, meaning that no part of the plant needs to be wasted. Guayule also requires significantly less water than a traditional crop because it is native to the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States.

“With our current patented technology, guayule rubber could replace up to 30 percent of our domestic needs, giving rubber manufacturers and the tire companies a stable source that neither has to be imported or forces us to compete for global supplies,” the PanAridus website explained.

Members of the trucking industry from company executives to CDL licensed drivers are constantly looking for ways to make trucking more sustainable. If guayule is found to be a good, eco-friendly substitute to make rubber tires, it could revolutionize the industry and lessen its overall environmental impact.

Bridgestone and Cooper Tire have joined the effort and are both conducting research projects studying guayule’s potential to be a substitute for rubber.

Guayule studied as possible alternative to rubber

Friday, September 28th, 2012