"Rubber Made From Dandelions is Making Tires More Sustainable – Truly a Wondrous Plant" (2021) https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/dandelions-produce-more-sust... :

[I'll leave in the hashtags from when I wrote this up to remind myself at the time:]

#DandelionRubber Tires; #Taraxagum

> Aiding the bees and our environment

> Now, Continental Tires is producing #dandelion rubber tires called #Taraxagum (which is the genus name of the species). The bicycle version of their tires even won the German #Sustainability Award 2021 for sustainable design.,

> “The fact that we came out on top among 54 finalists shows that our Urban Taraxagum bicycle tire is a unique product that contributes to the development of a new, alternative and sustainable supply of raw materials,” stated Dr. Carla Recker, head of development for the Taraxagum project.

> The report from DW added that the performance of dandelion tires was better in some cases than natural rubber—which is typically blended with synthetic rubber.

> Capable of growing, as we all know, practically anywhere, dandelion needs very little accommodation in a country or business’s agriculture profile. The #Taraxagum research team at Continental hypothesizes they could even be grown in the polluted land on or around old industrial parks.

> Furthermore, the only additive needed during the rubber extraction process is hot #water, unlike Hevea which requires the use of organic solvents that pose a pollution risk if they’re not disposed of properly.

> Representing a critical early-season food supply for dwindling #bees and a valuable source of super-nutritious food for humans, dandelions can also be turned into coffee, give any child a good time blowing apart their seeds—and, now, as a new source for rubber in the world; truly a wondrous plant.

Taraxacum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum