In an effort to replenish the global natural rubber supply chain, which is currently under threat due to a mixture of disease and increasing demand, scientists from Ohio State University are extracting latex — the precursor to vulcanized rubber — from two sustainable plant sources.

Specifically, the researchers explained, the latex can be extracted, via specialized extraction methods, from the Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TK) dandelion and the guayule shrub.

Graphical abstract. Source: Industrial Crops and Products (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2023.117698

According to the researchers, latex extraction from the guayule shrub includes grinding the shrub's bark so that it releases latex particles into a milkshake-like substance. To improve the efficiency of this process, the team added flocculants and reduced washing cycles, thereby enhancing overall latex yield. Reportedly the latex derived from the guayule shrub is stronger and softer than existing polymers.

Meanwhile, latex derived from the TK dandelion is extracted from its roots, with the team discovering that adding EDTA to the extraction process increased latex yield significantly and enabled the immediate extraction of latex without a prolonged storage period as occurs with other extraction methods.

An article detailing the team's findings, “Extractable latex yield from Taraxacum kok-saghyz roots is enhanced by increasing rubber particle buoyancy,” appears in the journal Industrial Crops and Products