1/1

Biobased Performance Materials Symposium

14 June 2018, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Session: Novel polymers

Presentation by: Frans Kappen,

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research

Title: Natural rubber from dandelions

Author: Frans Kappen

Contact details:

Frans H.J. Kappen (MSc) Wageningen Food & Biobased Research

P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands

Wageningen Campus, Building 118,

Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen,

The Netherlands

T +31 317 481162

E frans.kappen@wur.nl

Curriculum:

Frans Kappen studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

After his traineeship at Shell/Exxon Mobil (drilling fluids), he went to work at the Food &

Biobased Research institute, part of Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR).

His working fields include in particular refining and processing of agricultural materials

(carbohydrates (starch, chitin), natural rubber, polyhydroxy alkanoates) and biobased

polymer product development (bioplastics, packaging, adhesives, coatings). Scaling up and

implementation of new biobased materials into several industrial production processes are

part of his work. Frans Kappen is work package leader in the DRIVE4EU project in which

dandelions as a new source for alternative natural rubber is demonstrated. Extraction,

refinery and analysis of natural rubber from rubber dandelion are part of this work package.

Scaling up this refinery from small laboratory scale to pilot scale is the main task.

In the last 22 years, Frans Kappen performed and managed projects for raw product and end

product producers, small enterprises and multinationals. These projects (over 80) were

feasibility studies for 1 month to application research of 2-4 years.

Abstract:

Wageningen University and Research is the coordinator of the DRIVE4EU demonstration

project. DRIVE4EU stands for Dandelion Rubber and Inulin Valorization and Exploitation for

Europe. The consortium is a collaborative network of European research organisations and

industrial participants, which consists of 13 partners located in 6 countries.

DRIVE4EU aims to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility and potential of an

European production chain for natural rubber and inulin as building block for green

chemicals, using the rubber dandelion as a production platform. The value chains cover all

elements from plant breeding and agronomy to ultimately the production of rubber based

consumer end products (e.g. tyres). Scaling-up of each individual step in the production

chain has to be demonstrated.

This presentation will give an overview of the background, the progress obtained in the

DRIVE4EU project and impact and perspectives of this rubber dandelion. Aspects of

breeding, agronomy, ecological interactions, extraction and analysis of natural rubber, and

properties of rubber products will be covered.

Natural Rubber from dandelions

Biobased Performance Materials symposium 2018

Wageningen, 14th June 2018, Frans Kappen

Contents

Why alternatives to Hevea Natural Rubber?

Rubber dandelion

● DRIVE4EU

● The production chain of Dandelion Rubber

● Results, challenges

Expectations of the future

Why alternatives to Hevea Natural Rubber?

List of “critical raw materials” for the EU

● High risk of supply disruption

● High economic importance

3

2017 CRMs (27)

Antimony Fluorspar LREEs Phosphorus

Baryte Gallium Magnesium Scandium

Beryllium Germanium Natural graphite Silicon metal

Bismuth Hafnium Natural rubber Tantalum

Borate Helium Niobium Tungsten

Cobalt HREEs PGMs Vanadium

Coking coal Indium Phosphate rock

Natural rubber from Hevea brasiliensis tree

Heveanatural rubber

Volatile prices

•94% Southeast Asia

• Increasing market (China, India)

Climate change

•Only grows in tropical climate

•Risk of drought or extreme rain

Vulnerability

•Pests and diseases (e.g. South American Leaf Blight)

Not a flexible crop

•Production during 7-30 years

Non-replaceable

•75% to tires

•Outstanding rebound

•100% cis-poly-isoprene

4

Need for European alternative for natural

rubber

Alternatives to Hevea Natural rubber?

Natural rubber sources

● 2000 plant species that contain rubber

● Quality, amount, economics, development

● Hevea: high Mw, 2000 kg/ha/yr, almost 200 yrs

Also a shortage during World War II

● USA: Guayule in warm, dry climate

● USSR: Dandelion in cold to moderate climate

● Development stopped

Russian/Kazakh rubber dandelion

Taraxacum koksaghyz (TKS)

● Annual mechanical whole crop harvest

● Latex in threads, coagulates very fast to dry rubber

● High molecular weight rubber

● High inulin content

6

● Demonstration project (2014-2018)

● Optimisation and upscaling

Dandelion Rubber and Inulin Valorisation

and Exploitation for Europe

Ecology & Economy

Breeding Cultivation Refinery Products

Bre

edin

g •Wild type

•Variations

•Size

•Quantity

•Root shape

Breeding of Rubber dandelion

Wild type T. koksaghyz (rubber dandelion)

● Small, fragile, but high rubber content↓

Breeding tools, knowledge of metabolic pathways

↓

Hybrids TKS and bigger dandelions

● Large, strong, and high rubber content

● Increasing inulin content

Cultiv

ation •Yield / ha

•Sowing

•Harvest

•Storage

The cultivation of Rubber dandelion

Mechanical sowing

Protocol for use of fertilizers, water, etc.

Mechanical harvest

± 5 hectares planted and harvested

Pro

duction •Efficiency

•Dry rubber

•Volume

•Energy

The production of Dandelion Rubber

Patent pending biorefinery process to obtain both rubber and inulin

From laboratory to pilot scale

Up-scalable equipment specified for this process

● Dry rubber

● High rubber recovery and high purity

● High molecular weight

Analy

sis •Properties

•Rubber

•Compound

•Product

Analysis of Dandelion Rubber

Quantitative and Qualitative analysis

● ASE, soxhlet, HTSE, FTIR, GPC, TGA, GC-MS

RT: 29.00 - 69.00

30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68

Time (min)

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

Re

la

tive

A

bu

nd

an

ce

0

20

40

60

80

10029.69

31.16

44.3149.13

38.29 48.4844.83 58.6537.92 50.8343.10 52.26 52.6538.58 42.54 60.6831.85 60.9836.7533.30 36.62 55.8953.04 56.6439.71 42.2835.76

32.69

34.16

48.5747.31

48.7951.4741.29 52.1546.10 61.6445.53 54.1641.5839.76 55.2334.85 63.63 64.0039.63 55.9545.29 59.6635.4232.22 37.6431.44

37.69

39.16

53.58

52.31 53.94 56.5046.29 51.11 57.1650.54 54.8546.58 66.6659.1739.85 44.76 60.23 68.6860.96 62.5950.29 64.6647.7244.1040.4237.2136.4429.96 31.23 35.25

NL:1.54E8

TIC MS Rubber-2minpyr

NL:1.99E8

TIC MS rubber-5minpyr

NL:2.28E8

TIC MS rubber-10minpyr

Com

poundin

g •Properties

•Rubber

•Compound

•Product

Compounding of Dandelion Rubber

Standard ASTM methods

● Improved milling behaviour, higher stickiness

Sheets of rubber compounds and their curing curve (Apollo Tyres Global R&D)

Com

poundin

g •Properties

•Rubber

•Compound

•Product

Compounding of Dandelion Rubber

Tyres are made and at the moment on their way to New Zealand for winter testing

Winter tyres by Apollo Tyres Global R&D

Ecolo

gy •Natural

crossings

• Invasion

Ecology of Rubber Dandelion

Dandelions are a “weed”...

Will the Rubber Dandelion (TKS) take over?

● No natural crossings between TKS and other dandelion species in Kazakhstan and in the laboratory

● No TKS any more at “old farms” in Sweden

Econom

y •Yield

•Costs

Economy of Dandelion Rubber chain

Current status → near future → long term

● Maintaining quality

● Low yield → high yield

● Optimise processes

● Scale up processes

● Future looks promising!

● Final report is being prepared

After DRIVE4EU

Research → demonstration → flagship?

Using 2nd generation rubber dandelions

Further automate sowing and harvesting

Building pilot refinery plant

● Quality of dandelion roots

● Pilot production of dandelion rubber

● Pilot production of inulin

Formulation, compounding and testing of tires and rubber goods

Expectations for Natural Rubber from

alternative feedstock

There is a need, so something will happen...

● Not only several synthetic rubbers and additives

● But also several natural rubbers and additives

Questions?

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to members of the EU-PEARLS consortium:

Wageningen UR (NL), Keygene (NL), IBOT (CZ),

Apollo Vredestein (NL), WWUM (DE), UniL (CH),

NEIKER (ES), Cirad (FR)

Thanks to members of the DRIVE4EU consortium:

Wageningen UR (NL), Keygene (NL), IBOT (CZ),

Apollo Tyres Global R&D (NL), Syral (F), GEA

Westfalia (DE), QEW Engineerd Rubber (NL),

InEXCBKZ (KAZ), Mitas (CZ), Rusthoeve (NL),

Joanneum Research (AU), ILVO (B), Netzsch (DE)

Dandelion Rubber and Inulin Valorisation and Exploitation for Europe

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 613697.