Mitas targets first dandelion rubber farm tire

Prague - Mitas is planning to test “the first agriculture tire made from agricultural cultivated crops”, the company announced 18 Dec.

Rubber extracted from the Taraxacum koksaghyz – also called the Kazakh dandelion - will complement rubber tree latex in compound produced for agriculture tires, said Mitas.  A first prototype dandelion rubber tire is expected in 2015.

Mitas is one of several tire makers researching the potential of the Kazakh dandelion as an alternative to the Hevea tree for the production of tire rubber.

The Czech company is currently involved in the Drive4EU project researching the possibilities of using rubber from the Kazakh dandelion.

“We are examining different ways to use natural and renewable materials to produce our tires,” said Andrew Mabin, Mitas’ sales and marketing director.

Mitas’ R&D department, he added, is “actively seeking new ways of improving our manufacturing process which includes researching new raw materials or substitutes.”