Rubber Journal Asia Materials News Led by university scholar, Katrina Cornish, the research team has made guayule and Hevea gloves Type IV-hypoallergenic, by using new accelerators, chemicals added to expedite the curing reactions and production of latex products and that don’t leave allergy-causing residues in the finished product. US-headquartered start-up company EnergyEne Inc has been established to lead the development and commercialisation of products from the patentpending latex thin films, said to possess mechanical properties suitable for surgical gloves, catheters and condoms. Meanwhile, a new latex-replacement substance called hydrogel is being utilised by Australian scientists to develop condoms. Unlike latex, the hydrogel enables the condom material to feel like skin. Hydrogels are already being widely used in prosthetics, having properties close to tissue. According to the researchers from the University of Wollongong (UOW), among the unique advantages of hydrogels are that it can be engineered to perform all kinds of different functionalities, such as self-lubrication, topical drug delivery, biodegradability and even electric conductivity. The team received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which called for the development of next generation condoms. The study will also conduct a biometric testing to determine response as to whether the hydrogel-based condom is better than the latex one.
have recently identified the protein in the Russian dandelion, the so-called rubber transferase activator that plays a key role in forming the rubber producing complex in the flower. A second study identified a further important protein, which is vital in the formation of the long polyisoprene chains. These polymers give the rubber its elasticity and resilience. Their recent findings on the dandelions have brought closer the possibility of finally manufacturing natural rubber biotechnologically. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), and the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, supported the research.
“…By 2020, more than 27 million kg of natural rubber could be produced from dandelions...” In view of this development, a report on the natural rubber producing plants published in 2013 in the African Journal of Biotechnology indicated the potential of the dandelion rubber in a host of applications, primarily in tyres. It projected that the industry will see its first dandelion rubber facility within the decade. By 2020, more than 27 million kg of natural rubber could be produced from dandelions. Meanwhile, guayule has already outpaced the other alternative rubber sources in terms of R&D on its potential for commercial-scale production, being endowed with latex that has similar properties to that of the natural rubber. Mostly venturing on developing guayule are tyre makers. Bridgestone Americas has built a 4-ha Biorubber Research Centre in Arizona, and started production of guayule rubber in 2014, expecting to produce fully sustainable and renewable raw materials from guayule by 2050. Cooper Tire & Rubber has also dug into developing the shrub’s potentials, with a US$6.9 million grant from the US Department of Energy supporting its research. It is conducting ongoing tests on the guayule tyre build it completed last year. On the other hand, Arizona-based bio-agriculture firm PanAridus, which partnered with Cooper in 2013 for the guayule biorubber consortium, has shipped its first bale of tyre-grade guayule rubber after it obtained a patent last year. Other identified natural rubber alternative sources being eyed for further study are the sunflower, which incidentally is a distant relative of guayule; and the Gutta Percha – trees found in East Asia, mostly of the Palaquium genus, that has potential to produce rigid latex.
Harvesting non-allergenic sources he increasing incidences of allergic reactions to proteins in NR latex spurred the need to develop alternative rubber sources. While over 2,000 different plant species are known to produce rubber, only a few of the plant species are capable of producing large amounts of high quality rubber, according to the University of Nevada in the US. At least four plant sources are currently in the headlines and being eyed for high quality rubber, without the risk of causing allergic responses. One of these is the prickly lettuce, identified by scientists at the Washington State University. The team identified regions in the genetic code of this common plant that is tied to rubber production. Although needing further study, the scientists claim that the prickly lettuce could be cultivated for latex production. The multiple stems of the plant will also allow for maximum rubber yield. It can also be grown with minimal rainfall and as cash crop in rotation with other crops. Researchers at the German Münster University, a branch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, the Technische Universität München (TUM) and TRM in York, UK,
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