With the aim of achieving a greater impact in the breeding of dandelions for tire production and industrial use, Continental has expanded its Taraxagum project.
The tire maker’s project, which focuses on the acquisition of natural rubber from dandelions, has welcomed plant breeder Kartoffelzucht Böhm to its research network.
By working with Kartoffelzucht Böhm, Continental aims to strengthen its breeding of dandelions for dandelion rubber, a material which has already been used within the company’s Urban Taraxagum bicycle tire. The manufacturer’s long-term aim is to industrialize rubber from dandelions, enabling its use in car and truck tires and other rubber goods.
Other partners of the project include the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, the University of Münster, the Julius Kühn Institute and the plant breeder ESKUSA. Further support is provided by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry for Economics, Labor and Tourism of the State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. Continental also receives funds from the European Union for the project.
“We are pleased to welcome another plant cultivation specialist to our network,” said Dr. Carla Recker, head of the expert field materials chemistry and Taraxagum, Continental Tires. “The internationally active company Böhm has great experience in the breeding of cultivated plants. These are ideal prerequisites for our Taraxagum project.”
