A Greater Cincinnati startup has landed a significant government contract for its natural rubber made from dandelions.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a multiyear, multimillion-dollar program with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and DoD-sponsored BioMADE to work with Norwood-based Farmed Materials on developing a domestic source of natural rubber.
Chuck Joffe, a co-founder of Farmed Materials, was not permitted to discuss the specifics of the contract.
Currently, more than 90% of the world’s natural rubber – a strategic raw material that is a critical ingredient in military, aircraft and truck tires – is made from latex derived from rubber trees and primarily sourced from tropical regions outside the U.S. Joffe told me much of the material comes from Chinese state-owned manufacturers.
However, a species of dandelion – taraxacum kok-saghyz, or TK – has proven to be a valuable alternative to natural rubber trees and can be grown in more temperate climates, including Ohio, officials said. Farmed Materials showed initial positive results in TK pilot programs, which now need additional planting and funding.
According to Joffe and other experts, now is a critical time to develop a domestic source of natural rubber, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain problems and geopolitical issues, especially in China.
Chris Helsel, global operations and chief technology officer for Goodyear, said the program “may help mitigate future supply chain challenges.” Joffe added that “we can’t rely on foreign markets.”
Not only does TK open the possibility for more domestic production, but it is also much faster, according to officials. Rubber trees typically take seven years to produce the latex needed for natural rubber, while dandelions can be harvested every six months.
With backing from the DoD, Goodyear, BioMADE and Farmed Materials will accelerate the commercialization of TK. According to Joffe, the planting and harvesting will take place in Northern Ohio.
The natural rubber harvested in Ohio will produce military aircraft tires that will go through rigorous testing by Goodyear in cooperation with the AFRL at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. If the testing goes well, Goodyear sees potential for the TK rubber to be used in all tire applications.
Joffe called the contract “validation” that the country needs a domestic supply of natural rubber.
Melanie Tomczak, chief technology officer at BioMADE, said in a news release the project “holds a lot of promise for domestic rubber production” and “shows how bioindustrial manufacturing can help secure the domestic supply chain.”
Farmed Materials, which started in 2016, is a small startup, with the staff made up of a core group of five co-founders. Joffe doesn’t expect the contract to increase employees, but he did say TK production could be profitable for farmers.
The Farmed Materials team has “successfully completed all phases of agriculture, seed production, rubber extraction and testing from the largest TK acreage cultivated since (World War II),” the company said.
