Tire manufacturer Bridgestone has operated a demonstration-scale processing facility in central Arizona for the past decade in an effort to show that guayule can eventually be harvested for natural rubber at a commercial scale.
In late August the company announced it would commercialize guayule rubber production by 2030.
Though two thirds of the world’s rubber is now made synthetically from petroleum, rubber produced from natural sources is indispensable for some purposes.
Airplane tires, for example, are made from natural rubber, which is superior to synthetics for handling impacts such as landing on the runway.
The market is currently dominated by rubber sourced from Hevea brasiliensis trees in Southeast Asia, and it’s hard for guayule in the U.S. to compete with those large operations, which have lower labor costs, while farmers in the Southwest tend to favor more lucrative crops, such as alfalfa and cotton.
But fungal infestations of monocultured Hevea trees have caused steep drops in global natural rubber supplies in recent years, and the Southwest’s drought has reduced the water available to farmers, making it harder to grow alfalfa, cotton and other crops.
Guayule, on the other hand, is drought-tolerant, and it can be grown and harvested for several years without tilling the soil.
In late August the company announced it would commercialize guayule rubber production by 2030.
Though two thirds of the world’s rubber is now made synthetically from petroleum, rubber produced from natural sources is indispensable for some purposes.
Airplane tires, for example, are made from natural rubber, which is superior to synthetics for handling impacts such as landing on the runway.
The market is currently dominated by rubber sourced from Hevea brasiliensis trees in Southeast Asia, and it’s hard for guayule in the U.S. to compete with those large operations, which have lower labor costs, while farmers in the Southwest tend to favor more lucrative crops, such as alfalfa and cotton.
But fungal infestations of monocultured Hevea trees have caused steep drops in global natural rubber supplies in recent years, and the Southwest’s drought has reduced the water available to farmers, making it harder to grow alfalfa, cotton and other crops.
Guayule, on the other hand, is drought-tolerant, and it can be grown and harvested for several years without tilling the soil.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-shrub-could-supply-rubber-insect-repellent-and-glue/
Guayule makes the best latex, compared with other natural and synthetic formulations, because it’s particularly strong, stretchy and soft, Cornish says. It’s also hypoallergenic, unlike latex derived from Hevea trees.Bridgestone says it aims to commercialize the use of sustainable guayule natural rubber in tires by 2030, and introduced the guayule rubber race tire during the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge in May.
Bridgestone launched its guayule research initiative in 2012, when it broke ground on a guayule processing and research center in Mesa, Arizona. Today, the company says it operates the research center in Mesa, as well as a 281-acre guayule farm in Eloy, Arizona. Bridgestone says it has invested more than $100 million in its efforts to commercialize guayule.
Guayule is part of the Bridgestone plan to achieve carbon neutrality and make tires from 100% renewable materials by 2050, according to the company. It is actively researching a range of solutions to support the recycling of materials from end-of-life tires and promote the replacement of non-renewable materials such as oil, silica and virgin carbon black in new tires.
Great information! Thamks.
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