New source of Natural Rubber emerging from our backyard? QEW Engineered Rubber

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1 New source of Natural Rubber emerging from our backyard?

2 Natural Rubber facts products Hevea brasiliensis Natural/Synthetic rubber ratio 40-45/60-55 NR production 2016: 12M tonnes Forecast 2025: 25% increase Excellent performance on HBU No synthetic equivalent available

3 Natural Rubber Economic Importance Fossil Fuel

4 Natural Rubber History of Discovery 1600 BC: Rubber People Olmec (mesoamericans) Latex of Castilla elastica and juice of Ipomoea alba 1500 AD: Christoffel Columbus 1736 AD: Carles Marie de la Condamine Introduction in Europe 1820 AD: The Masticator by Hancock & Macintosh 1845 AD: patent on vulcanisation of rubber 1876 AD: Sir Henry Alexander Wickham The bio-pirate

5 Natural Rubber History of Production 1736 AD: Development of Rubber industry in Europe and the South American monopoly position 1845 AD: Increase in demand due to the discovery of vulcanisation 1876 AD: Stealing of the rubberseeds in order to control the demand of Natural Rubber 1877 AD: Introduction of seedlings in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Singapore 1888 AD: Explosive growth in demand, fuelled by the invention of the pneumatic tire by Dunlop

6 Attempts to revive the NR production in S-Am 1880 AD: Decline of Rubber Production in the South American continent 1827 AD: Fordlandia!

7 Attempts to revive the NR production in S-Am 1936 AD: Abandoned Until 2000: Several projects failed within 7 years All due to South American Leaf Blight (Microcyclus ulei)

8 NR production geography

9 NR production

10 Natural Rubber Price Development 4,80 2,40 0,00

11 Natural Rubber Threats Environmental Social Very specific environmental demands (wet, tropical) Geografical exlusivity Dynamics of climate Vulnerability of mono-cultures (leaf blight) Development of NR-producing countries Forces to preserve the (still) existing diverse eco-system Stability of governments Economics Competition by more rewarding crops/products Supply & Demand Single source

12 Alternative sources of NR 2500 plant species produce NR (Bowers, 1990) WWII: Transportroutes blocked by Japan US: main focus on Guayule USSR: main focus on Russian dandelion Germany: main focus on synthetic rubber

13 Alternative sources of NR

14 Projects Alternative sources Plant species Microorganism, like bacteria and yeast Improving microbial resistance Development of fungicides/biocides

15 Goals & Objectives To demonstrate the technical and economical feasibility of the use of the Rubber Dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) TKS as a production platform for natural rubber and inulin Breeding of plant genotypes with high root biomass, high rubber yield and high inulin yield Amplification of seed batches for agronomic tests and large scale demo field trials Optimized cultivation and harvest methods for TKS Ecological analysis of the gene flow between TKS and other wild, dandelion species Scaled-up and optimized extraction and refinery protocol for TKS natural rubber and inulin Testing and application of TKS natural rubber and inulin in end product uses Demonstration of the economic viability of the TKS production chain for natural rubber and inulin

16 History 1931 AD: Taraxacum koksaghyz identified as potential NR source WWII: Development and scale-up production in USSR and US AD: Development NR from TKS in Germany, UK, Sweden and Spain All projects abandoned because no longer feasible Seedbanks appear to have the wrong seeds (Taraxacum brevicorniculatum) 2007 AD: EU-PEARLS

17 History

18 Taraxacum koksaghyz Dandelion (dent de lion) Geografic origin = Kazachstan Grows in cool temperate humid climate Only 2 or 3 dandelion species with significant rubber content Rubber only in the root Rubber content 1-10% Latex solidifies immediately in contact with air

19 Partners

20 Breeding and Amplification Startpoint: a few plants (recovered from Kazachstan plains) No genetic engineering Hybridization with other species Breeding for higher biomass and higher rubbercontent Seed production ( seeds)

21 Breeding and Amplification

22 Cultivation and Harvesting Germination (priming) Pelleting Sowing conditions Soil type Field type Sowing density Sowing or planting Growing conditions Irrigation Protection (weeding, biocides) Harvesting Storage

23 Cultivation and Harvesting

24 Cultivation and Harvesting

25 Cultivation and Harvesting Heavy rainfall, followed by severe drought

26 Extraction and Refining Extraction of latex is not possible Process derived from earlier experiments and improved The recovery of NR and inulin in the same process Ball-milling Floatation Results november 2016: 85% NR DE

27 Characterisation

28 Characterisation

29 Application

30 Evaluation Cost calculation SWOT analysis Life Cycle Analysis Dissemination

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33 Dank voor jullie aandacht / Thank you for your attention.