Ford, Ohio State Look to Put Dandelion Roots to Use in Cupholders, Floor Mats and Interior Trim

When homeowners see dandelions sprouting, they start thinking of ways to
get rid of the weed, but researchers at Ford and The Ohio State
University see a plant that can serve as a new sustainable resource for
rubber.

Ford and The Ohio State University are looking at dandelions in a new way by researching their potential use as a sustainable resource for rubber.

A milky-white substance that seeps from dandelion roots is used to
produce the sustainable rubber. The substance could potentially find its
way into plastic parts in Ford vehicles, including cupholders, floor
mats and interior trim.

Potential use of dandelion root as a
rubber substitute is another example of Ford’s investment in sustainable
materials for its vehicles, including soy foam seat cushions, wheat
straw-filled plastic for interior trim and recycled cotton from blue
jeans as sound-dampening material

“We’re always looking for new
sustainable materials to use in our vehicles that have a smaller carbon
footprint to produce and can be grown locally,” said Angela Harris, Ford
research engineer. “Synthetic rubber is not a sustainable resource, so
we want to minimize its use in our vehicles when possible. Dandelions
have the potential to serve as a great natural alternative to synthetic
rubber in our products.”

Not all dandelions are created equal,
meaning not all can be used as a sustainable resource for rubber. The
suitable species for this project is the Russian dandelion, Taraxacum
kok-saghyz (TKS), which is being grown at The Ohio State University’s
Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). A milky-white
substance that seeps from the roots of this species of dandelion is
used to produce the rubber.

“Managing weed problems is essential
to developing TKS as a commercially viable domestic source of natural
rubber in the U.S.,” said Bill Ravlin, associate director of OARDC.

Ford
could potentially use the substance as a plastics modifier, to help
improve the impact strength of plastics. The material might then be used
in places such as cupholders, floor mats and interior trim.

“It’s
strange to see weeds being grown in perfectly manicured rows in a
greenhouse, but these dandelions could be the next sustainable material
in our vehicles,” said Harris.
 
Before the dandelion-derived
rubber can be put to use, Ford researchers will assess the initial
quality of the material to evaluate how it will perform in a variety of
plastics that are used in vehicles and to ensure it meets durability
standards.

Besides the dandelion, the team also is looking into
the use of guayule (a southwestern U.S. shrub) as a natural rubber,
which is provided by OARDC and can also be grown domestically.

Eco-Friendly Solutions

Ford’s
“Reduce, reuse and recycle” commitment is part of the company’s broader
global sustainability strategy to reduce its environmental footprint
while at the same time accelerating the development of advanced,
fuel-efficient vehicle technologies around the world.

Over the
past several years Ford has concentrated on increasing the use of
nonmetal recycled and bio-based materials whenever possible, provided
these materials are environmentally favorable in the specific
application. Examples include soy foam seat cushions, wheat straw-filled
plastic, recycled resins for underbody systems, recycled yarns on seat
covers and natural-fiber plastic for interior components.

Content provided by www.ford.com/.

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