JAPAN: Tire makers develop alternatives to rubber trees
Major tire makers, concerned about rubber shortages in light of growing demand for tires in emerging countries, are turning away from rubber trees to other rubber-yielding plants.
World consumption of natural rubber has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Currently, rubber-tree plantations are concentrated in the tropical zone of Southeast Asia.
Bridgestone Corp. released prototype tires made of rubber extracted from guayule, a desert shrub grown in North and Central America, in October last year. According to the company, there is little difference in mileage or performance between tires made of rubber from rubber trees and tires produced with rubber that comes from the guayule shrub.
Bridgestone built a 114-hectare-experimental farm in Arizona in 2013, and opened a research and processing facility the following year. The company is working toward practical use of natural rubber made from the guayule shrub in early 2020, while working on such problems as supplies, processing and costs.
Bridgestone Chief Executive Officer Masaaki Tsuya said prices of oil and natural rubber will not always remain cheap and environmental awareness will grow. “It’s very important to develop alternative sources,” he added.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., which produces the Dunlop brand, has started research on the Russian dandelion, a plant native to Central Asia that can grow in temperate regions, as an alternative to the rubber tree. It is said rubber can be extracted from the roots of the plant. Overseas makers, including Continental AG, have also conducted research on the Russian dandelion.
According to one estimate, worldwide tire demand will increase by about 4 % a year due to increasing sales of cars in emerging countries. “Amid growing demand for tires, we’ve been focusing on using natural resources,” a spokesperson of Sumitomo Rubber Industries said.
Source: Daily “The Japan News”, Tokyo; 16 Jan 2016
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)