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Nominee 2021

Sustainable tires from dandelions

Sustainable tires from dandelions – Innovations from biology, technology and agriculture

Dr. rer. nat. Carla Recker (Spokesperson)*
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dirk Prüfer**/***
Dr. rer. nat. Christian Schulze Gronover***
*Continental AG, Hanover
**WWU University of Münster
***Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Münster

(f.l.t.r.) Dr. rer. nat. Christian Schulze Gronover, Dr. rer. nat. Carla Recker,
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dirk Prüfer

Whether trucks, motorcycles, bicycles or cars: no vehicle can do without tires made of rubber. Tires are high-tech products with customized properties. Manufacturing them in the desired quality is only possible using caoutchouc, natural rubber. Yet this high-quality raw material is in short supply. Its extraction in tropical regions also often has an environmental impact. How can we continue to benefit from the advantages of natural rubber in future while providing a sustainable basis for its supply?

Dr. Carla Recker, Prof. Dr. Dirk Prüfer and Dr. Christian Schulze Gronover have found a fitting response. It is based on the Russian dandelion - an unassuming and hardy plant with unusual properties. It is an alternative source for the sought-after natural raw material which to date has been extracted exclusively from rubber trees.

The team from Hanover and Münster proved that using caoutchouc from Russian dandelions it is possible to manufacture products in an environmentally friendly manner that are equal to products based on conventionally produced caoutchouc. Carla Recker is Head of Expert Field Material Chemistry & Taraxagumat Continental, which is part of the Material and Process Development and Industrialization in the Research and Development division.

Dirk Prüfer is Professor for Molecular Plant Biotechnology at the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Münster as well as Head of the Branch Lab "Plant Biopolymers" of the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Ecology IME in Münster, Christian Schulze Gronover is Group Leader in the division Bioeconomy and Renewable Resources at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME.

Natural rubber is indispensible to the manufacture of high-performance, robust and safer tires. Synthetic rubber produced from petroleum cannot compete with the favorable properties of caoutchouc. This is one of the reasons why car tires contain an average of between 10 and 40 percent natural rubber. Caoutchouc is derived exclusively from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) which is cultivated in monocultures on gigantic plantations in tropical South and Southeastern Asia. A rubber-like matter is produced under its bark that is harvested by scoring the bark. Using this method, around 14 million tons of caoutchouc are currently harvested annually of which more than two thirds are destined for tire production. The demand for natural rubber is constantly increasing which is why this commodity could become scarce in several years.

The Russian dandelion native to Central Asia can help balance out this shortage. It is one of the few plants apart from the rubber tree to produce natural rubber. The rubber is found in the dandelion's root cells where certain proteins trigger biological reactions. They produce a thick, sticky milky sap that contains the caoutchouc. In its natural state, however, the Russian dandelion is not suited for agricultural use. In order to make cultivation of the plant commercially viable and to utilize its rubber efficiently, the team cooperating with Dirk Prüfer and Christian Schulze Gronover thus initially optimized the dandelion's traits. They began by researching how caoutchouc biosynthesis actually functions and which proteins and genes are involved in the process. With this knowledge, they then worked with plant breeders to obtain stronger and more hardy plants with a high yield and also capable of resisting pests or survive drought. With a rubber content in the roots of around ten percent, the optimized Russian dandelion can almost compete with the rubber tree in the meantime in terms of yield.

Moreover, the team developed special agricultural cultivation methods, a new technology to control weeds, and a machine that can be used to harvest the roots easily and neatly. To remove the caoutchouc from the plant, the nominees developed a now patented process to extract the natural raw material directly from the dried and cleaned roots. The roots are crushed in a special ball mill and suspended in water. No solvents harmful to the environment are required.

Material specialists at Continental working with Carla Recker discovered how natural rubber derived from dandelions can be used in high-quality products. They developed various tire prototypes and tested them under different conditions. It became apparent that the tires have comparable and in some cases even better properties than conventional tires - for example, braking performance on wet or snow-covered roads. In 2019, Continental introduced a bicycle tire with tread made of dandelion rubber as the first series product.

To further promote development of the innovation, the company runs a research and development center, the "Taraxagum Lab Anklam" in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, that also devotes 100 hectares of land to dandelion plantings. It is to be expanded considerably over the next few years. Within the next five to ten years, the company intends on continuing to push industrialization to make the first series products for cars and trucks available. Subsequent expansion of production could lead to a complete replacement of conventional natural rubber use in Europe in the long term.

The plant's sustainable cultivation does not directly compete with food plants. The Russian dandelion is robust and capable of thriving on barren ground that would otherwise be less attractive for farming. In future, cultivation on former lignite opencast mining sites could also be possible. This would open up new economic perspectives for the regions affected by the fossil-fuel phase out.

More Details

Resume

Dr. rer. nat. Carla Recker

05.08.1965
Born in Georgsmarienhütte, Germany
1984 – 1990
Studies of Chemistry at the Technical University Carolo-Wilhelmina in Braunschweig, Germany, Degree: Diploma
1992 – 1996
Studies of Environmental Sciences at the University of Rostock, Germany, Degree: Diploma
1995
Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) at the Technical University Carolo-Wilhelmina in Braunschweig, Germany
1995 – 2003
Various functions in the areas of Materials Research - Tire Research, Materials Research - Strategic Tire Technology and Advanced Materials - Strategic Technology at Continental
2003 – 2004
Senior developer in Materials Research, Materials Development, R & D Tires, Continental
2004 – 2018
Head of Expert Field Materials Chemistry - Material & Process Development & Industrialization, R & D Tires, Continental.
Since 2018
Head of Expert Materials Chemistry & Taraxagum - Material & Process Development & Industrialization, R & D Tires, Continental.
Responsibilities: Natural rubber from dandelion, know-how development for rubber raw materials and their interactions in rubber compounds in internal and external projects with universities, research institutions and suppliers.

Patents and Publications

 
~ 115 patents, 2 peer-review publications, 1 book chapter

Honours and Awards

2014
GreenTec Award in the category Automobility
2015
Josef-von-Fraunhofer-Award
2016
Innovation Award and Green Award of Automechanika 2016
2018
Transfer Award of the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
2019
Sustainability Award from Accell for the Urban Taraxagum
2020
Urban Taraxagum: IF Taipei Cycle d&I-award 2020, IF Award 2020, RedDot 2020.
Urban Taraxagum: German Sustainability Award Design, category 'Pioneer'.
2021
The Week of the Environment / Bellevue Palace

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dirk Prüfer

30.05.1963
Born in Nettesheim, Germany
1982 – 1989
Diploma in Biology at the University of Cologne
1992
Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) at the University of Cologne
1992 – 1998
Postdoc at the MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany and Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes du CNRS, Strasbourg, France
Since 1999
Head of department „Functional and Applied Genomics“ at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME in Schmallenberg und Aachen
Since 2004
Professor for Molecular Biotechnology of Plants at the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster. Head of Fraunhofer IME branch office „Plant Biopolymers“ in Münster
2005
Habilitation at the Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
2008 – 2017
Vice Dean for Structure (2008-2011), Dean (2011-2014) und Vice Dean for Finance and Personnel (2014-2017) at the Faculty of Biology, Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
Since 2020
Member of the Senate of the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster

Patents and Publications

 
9 patents, ~100 peer-review publications, over 4000 citations, 9 book chapters

Honours and Awards

1992
Otto Hahn Medal for outstanding scientific achievements, Max Planck Society
2000
“The transparent gene lab”. The Stifterverband
2009
The 50 Best Inventions of 2009: Dandelion Rubber. Time Magazine 2009
2010
365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas: Give rubber!
2010
Hanson-Medal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK
2012
The Week of the Environment / Bellevue Palace
2013
Highly commended for the Product of the Year, Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK
2013/14
3x winner of the FhG "Best New Customer" competition
2014
GreenTec Award in the category Automobility
2015
Josef-von-Fraunhofer-Award
2018
Applied Plant Research highlight project Plant2030
2018
Transfer Award of the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
2020
Best Fraunhofer Customer Acquisition
2020
Hugo-Junkers Award
2021
The Week of the Environment / Bellevue Palace

Dr. rer. nat. Christian Schulze Gronover

15.09.1975
Born in Greven Westf., Deutschland
1995 – 1999
Diploma in Biology at the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
2001
Visiting Scientist at the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee, Scotland
2001 – 2003
Business studies for Natural Scientists at the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
2003
Graduate School for Experimental Plant Sciences, Uetrecht, Netherlands
2004
Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) at the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
2004 – 2005
Postdoc at the department for Plant Biochemistry at the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
2005 – 2006
Postdoc at the department for Plant Biotechnology at the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster
2007 – 2010
Scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen/Münster
Since 2010
Group Leader at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen/Münster

Patents and Publications

 
6 patents, ~45 peer-review publications, over 1650 citations, 4 book chapters

Honours and Awards

2004
Special Distinction of the Dissertation
2009
The 50 Best Inventions of 2009: Dandelion Rubber. Time Magazine 2009
2010
365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas: Give rubber!
2011
Hanson-Medal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK
2012
The Week of the Environment / Bellevue Palace
2013
Highly commended for the Product of the Year, Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK
2013
Winner of the FhG "Best New Customer" competition
2015
Josef-von-Fraunhofer-Award
2018
Applied Plant Research highlight project Plant2030
2020
Best Fraunhofer Customer Acquisition
2020
Hugo-Junkers Award
2021
The Week of the Environment / Bellevue Palace

Contact

Press

Silke Bernhardt
Leiterin Kommunikation & Public Affairs
Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
Phone: +49 (0) 511 / 93 82 615
E-Mail: silke.bernhardt@conti.de
www.continental-reifen.de

Dr. Birgit Orthen
PR-Referentin Pflanzliche Biopolymere
Fraunhofer-Institut für Molekularbiologie und Angewandte Oekologie IME
Forkenbeckstr. 6
52074 Aachen
Phone: +49 (0) 241 / 60 85 12 421
E-Mail: birgit.orthen@ime.fraunhofer.de
www. https://www.ime.fraunhofer.de/

Norbert Robers
Leiter Kommunikation und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Schlossplatz 2
48149 Münster
Phone: +49 (0) 251 / 83 24 773
E-Mail: norbert.robers@uni-muenster.de
www.uni-muenster.de

Spokesperson

Dr. Carla Recker
Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
Jaedekamp 30
D-30419 Hannover
Email: carla.recker@conti.de
Phone: +49 (0) 511 / 97 63 584
Fax: +49 (0) 511 / 97 68 35 84

A description provided by the institutes and companies regarding their nominated projects

Sustainable tires from dandelions - Innovations from Biology, Technology and Agriculture

Protecting our tropical forests is a top priority in the fight against climate change. The central aim of the project “Sustainable tires from dandelions – Innovations from biology, technology and agriculture” is to stop importing natural rubber exclusively from the tropics in the future and to produce it as close as possible to the tire plants in order to prevent ongoing deforestation and to reduce CO2 emissions caused by long transport routes.

Dr. Carla Recker, Head of Expert Field Materials Chemistry & Taraxagum at Continental, Prof. Dr. Dirk Prüfer, Professor for Molecular Plant Biotechnology at the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Münster and Dr. Christian Schulze Gronover, Group Leader in Bioeconomy and Renewable Resources at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Münster, have developed a suitable answer in a joint project. Together, this interdisciplinary project team rediscovered the Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) and has been researching its potential as an alternative source of raw materials along the entire value chain. This is consistently oriented to the aspects of sustainability and economic efficiency.

The basic prerequisites for economic and sustainable cultivation of raw materials are high-yielding and hardy plants. Here, the molecular biologists of the University of Münster and the Fraunhofer Institute IME performed internationally recognized pioneering work. Russian dandelion has its origin in Kazakhstan, grows on weak soils and is particularly suitable for the production of natural rubber due to the generated quality. However, the amount of natural rubber found in roots of wild plants is not sufficient for industrial production. The aim of the biologists was therefore to investigate the plant development and metabolism in order to understand more precisely the generation and content of natural rubber. These findings provided the basis for the development of so-called DNA markers, which are important for rapid breeding success. DNA markers are signatures that occur naturally in the plant's genome. They are easy to detect and each occurs in combination with the section in the genome that produces a particular trait in the plant. Through consistent, knowledge-based action and with modern analytics, the project team thus continuously researches the plant seedlings for desired properties, for example, a higher rubber content in the root. Using this approach, it was already possible in cooperation with the plant breeding company ESKUSA to develop high-yielding and resistant plants from wild Russian dandelions.

The next step was the production of sufficient amounts of seeds for agricultural cultivation to test the farming of the yield-optimized plants around a newly built research laboratory in Anklam, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Together with experts from the agricultural sector, the project team has also been able to achieve continuous improvements, for example by designing new machines for economically and ecologically feasible cultivation and harvesting.

In order to extract the natural rubber from the harvested dandelion roots, the project team has also developed new technologies: The dandelion roots are mechanically crushed in water using a specially developed ball mill, the formed solid rubber particles are isolated and processed further.

The rubber extracted from dandelions is equivalent in its properties to those of conventional natural rubber obtained from rubber trees. This has been proven by Continental in extensive product and tire tests. Each passenger car tire, for example, contains about three kilograms of natural rubber, and each commercial vehicle tire up to 25 kilograms. The realistic yield target is to yearly obtain one ton of rubber per hectare of cultivated land. This would enable Continental to secure a growing proportion of its natural rubber requirements from new, sustainable sources.

Continental's Urban Taraxagum is the first series produced bicycle tire with a tread made of dandelion rubber, for which the Taraxagum brand name was introduced. Since its launch in 2019 as a series model in Continental's portfolio, above-average customer demand has been observed. The success of the sustainable tire is also reflected in numerous awards.

As early as 2014, the first experimental passenger car tire, the WinterContact TS 850 P, with a tread made of pure dandelion rubber passed extensive road tests with flying colors. In 2016, a first truck tire with dandelion technology was presented at the IAA. Continental intends to industrialize the technology for passenger cars and commercial vehicles in five to seven years. This represents a significant step toward even more sustainable tire production.

The project “Sustainable tires from dandelions – Innovations from biology, technology and agriculture” contributes to an environmentally and socially stable bioeconomy and meets seven of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2020, Continental generated sales of €37.7 billion and currently employs around 235,000 people in 58 countries and markets. In 2021, the company celebrates its 150th anniversary.

Since the beginning of 2021, the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME comprises the divisions "Molecular Biotechnology", "Applied Ecology" and "Bioresources" and currently employs more than 400 people. Fraunhofer IME is a strong partner for contract research in the fields of agriculture, bioeconomy, chemistry, and environmental and consumer protection.

The Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Münster consists of seven chairs with different thematic focuses on molecular physiology, genetics and biotechnology of plants. The institute is characterized by national and international cooperations and offers an outstanding opportunity for state-of-the-art plant research due to its modern equipment in the fields of molecular biological and chemical analytics as well as microscopy.