Development of novel processes for the aqueous extraction of natural rubber from Taraxacum kok‐saghyz (TK)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TK) is a rubber-producing plant being developed as a commercial alternative source of natural rubber (NR). The objective of this study was to investigate processes to extract high quality NR at high yield and purity from TK. Rubber is formed in the roots of TK and exists in mostly solid form. Previously used mechanical processes extract NR from TK roots at low purity (< 90%) that does not meet industry standards (≥ 99.8%). To improve this, the effects of root chopping, enzymatic hydrolysis, pebble milling and alkaline pretreatment and purification on NR yield, purity and quality were investigated. RESULTS: Enzymatic digestion (with and without alkaline pretreatment), yielded rubber at the highest yield (∼80%) and purity (99.4%). Alkaline pretreatment of roots improved NR yield and did not adversely affect quality. More rubber was extractable from chopped roots than whole roots, but the rubber was less pure. Alkaline purification of the extracted crude rubber further increased rubber purity but reduced rubber molecular weight. CONCLUSION: Enzymatic digestion with or without alkaline pretreatment forms the basis of aqueous processes that could be used for large-scale, efficient extraction of TK rubber at high yield, purity and quality to meet industry standards for NR.

Inflorescence Development and Floral Organogenesis in Taraxacum kok-saghyz

“…Taraxacum kok-saghyz has been studied as an important alternative source of natural rubber, cis-1, 4-polyisopropene [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], a raw material that can be used for producing both industrial and medical products. TK rubber is especially valuable because it is renewable and of superior quality, presenting a uniformly high molecular weight polymer when compared with synthetic rubber [ 15 ].…”

“…It has ideal agronomical properties for efficient production as an annual crop including fast development and high biomass production [ 17 ]. Capitalizing on research studies in TK domestication and rubber content extraction and analyses [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 20 ], a few companies have invested in the use of TK as an alternative rubber-producing crop [ 19 ]. Some studies also indicate that TK has the potential to be a source of additional important products, including inulin and proteins [ 14 , 21 ].…”

Insight into Mechanical Extraction Mechanisms of Natural Rubber Extraction from Taraxacum kok-saghyz

“…A change to a smaller mill jar would introduce a new interaction to the milling system. The extraction duration of 20 min was used in the same fashion as the pure mechanical extraction setup of Ramirez-Cadavid et al, 11 Dry Matter Samples. To determine the dry matter content, wet samples of each extraction step were taken and dried at 65 °C in a convectional drying oven (UF450, Memmert, Schwabach, Germany) for 24 to 48 h until the mass was constant.…”

Isolation and Investigation of Natural Rubber Latex from Taraxacum kok-saghyz with a High Solid Content

“…Numerous NR-containing plants are known, such as the Indian rubber plant (Ficus elastica), the Panama rubber tree (Castilla elastica), the West African rubber tree (Ficus vogelii), and the Lagos silk rubber (Funtumia elastica) . Especially, the potential of the shrub guayule (Parthenium argentatum) and the Kazakh dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz ) has been studied during the past few years. ,− In contrast to the recovery of NR, − the isolation of natural rubber latex (NRL) includes, in particular, the aspect of colloidal stabilization. Ammonia is known as the standard preservative for NRL but it poses several problems.…”