Mitas is to produce an agriculture tire made from agricultural cultivated crops. Rubber extracted from the Taraxacum koksaghyz (Kazakh dandelion) will complement rubber tree latex in the compound of the tire. The goal is to have the first prototype completed this year.
Mitas is also currently involved in the Drive4EU project in which it is responsible for testing the characteristics and features of rubber derived from Kazakh dandelion. The objective is to find a new source of rubber with the same or better characteristics than those of the rubber tree.
Said Andrew Mabin, Mitas’ sales and marketing director, “Our R&D department is actively seeking new ways of improving our manufacturing process, which includes researching new raw materials or substitutes. We are one of several tire manufacturers researching the benefits of the Kazakh dandelion in producing a more sustainable rubber for our tires.”
