How a Xinjiang weed could reduce China’s reliance on Southeast Asian rubber
Chinese scientists have turned a dandelion-like weed into natural rubber, a step that could help cut China’s heavy reliance on imported rubber. Growing on the salty, alkaline shores at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the plant looks much like an ordinary weed, with small yellow flowers and fluffy seeds. But when its root is broken, it oozes a milky…
Chinese scientists have discovered that a common weed found in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region can be turned into natural rubber, offering a potential solution to the country's heavy reliance on imported rubber. Known as the rubber dandelion or Taraxacum kok-saghyz, this weed produces a milky fluid when its root is broken, which is natural rubber.
In a recent test, researchers harvested one tonne of dried roots from a 20-mu (about 1.3-hectare) test field and extracted 40kg (88lbs) of natural rubber. While this amount may seem modest, its strategic importance is significant as natural rubber is essential for various products including tyres, cables, gloves, and more. China, being the world's biggest rubber consumer, uses around 7 million tonnes annually, with domestic production covering less than 20% of this demand.
The rubber dandelion could help alleviate this dependency, as it can be sown, harvested, and processed within the same year and is well-suited to Xinjiang's dry, saline, alkaline, and cool environment.
Brief written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
