Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
  • Tire Business
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Rubber Division IEC
    • War in Ukraine
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • ITEC
    • Silicone
    • Online Exclusive
    • Latex
    • Technical Notebooks
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Sustainability
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
  • Airless Tires
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • Directory
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
  • Data
  • Events
    • RN Events
    • RN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • Rubber News M&A Live
    • Ask the Expert
    • Healthcare Elastomers Conference
    • Rubber In Automotive Conference
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
May 08, 2013 02:00 AM

Nova CEO: Russian dandelion good for planet, NR industry

Miles Moore
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Miles Moore
    Anvar Buranov, president and CEO of Vancouver-based Nova-BioRubber Green Technologies Inc., discusses the Russian dandelion at the 29th annual Clemson University Tire Industry Conference, held April 24-26 in Hilton Head.

    HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.—The Russian dandelion helped win World War II, and it is about to become an acknowledged "green" technology for users of natural rubber, according to Anvar Buranov.

    Buranov, president and CEO of Vancouver-based Nova-BioRubber Green Technologies Inc., made a pitch for the Russian dandelion—also known as Taraxacum kok-saghyz, or TKS—at the 29th annual Clemson University Tire Industry Conference, held April 24-26 in Hilton Head.

    Nova-BioRubber holds a U.S. patent for extracting rubber from TKS, according to Buranov. The process is purely mechanical, using neither water nor chemicals, and works at room temperature, he said.

    The continuous process recovers 98 percent of the total rubber from TKS, and the resulting dry biomass contains inulin, a polysaccharide fiber used in food processing, he said.

    During World War II, when the Japanese blockade cut off supplies of natural rubber from Southeast Asia, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union searched desperately for workable substitutes, according to Buranov. The Russian dandelion turned out to be the solution, he said.

    "The Soviet Union asked for help, and the U.S. asked for seeds," Buranov said. Before the war's end, some 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of TKS had been planted in the Soviet Union, the U.S. and Canada, he said.

    This wartime effort was recounted in a 1947 publication by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to Buranov. But because so much of the literature on TKS was either classified or in Russian, the plant remained unknown to the public until 2002, when Nova-BioRubber started business.

    The patented Nova-BioRubber process extracts rubber and latex that is hypoallergenic, making it extremely useful for rubber gloves and other medical applications where latex allergies can prove deadly, Buranov said.

    The process also provides significant cost savings over other NR extraction methods, he said. The Nova-BioRubber process costs only $1 per kilogram for rubber extraction, compared with $44 per kilogram for the TKS extraction method developed during World War II.

    Nova-BioRubber is concentrating its TKS-growing plans in Canada, where land is cheap and which has the cool climate necessary to cultivating the plant, according to Buranov. The company also seeks commercial partners for expansion activities, he said.

    Related Articles
    Kultevat gets gene switch technology license
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    Most Popular
    1
    Methods to the madness: Smithers pins 4 processes for sustainable carbon black
    2
    No alternative in sight: Why Michelin is emphasizing sustainability of hevea
    3
    Is worst of new-vehicle inventory shortage in rearview mirror?
    4
    Michelin's hydrogen partners: 4 things to know about Symbio's stakeholders
    5
    Enviro receives follow-up pyrolysis order from 'leading U.S. oil company'
    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Rubber Division IEC
      • War in Ukraine
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • ITEC
      • Silicone
      • Online Exclusive
      • Latex
      • Technical Notebooks
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Blogs
        • Products
        • Wacky World of Rubber
      • Sustainability
    • Airless Tires
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Resources
      • Directory
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Data
    • Events
      • RN Events
        • Healthcare Elastomers Conference
        • Rubber In Automotive Conference
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • RN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • Rubber News M&A Live
      • Ask the Expert
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION