Chemical engineers and others pay a great deal of attention to the fuel that propels cars, as they work towards smaller carbon footprints and greater sustainability, but what about the many plastic and rubber components of a car?
The Program of Excellence in Natural Rubber Alternatives (PENRA) was created to find new alternatives to rubber to combat a shortage in the natural rubber supply. According to a report posted on RobAid.com, PENRA's work has been taken up by researchers at Ford and Ohio State University who have identified a type of dandelion as one possible solution.
The plant in question is the "Russian dandelion," or taraxacum kok-saghyz, which the researchers say produces a milky substance that can serve as a plastics modifier. An article in the New York Times on the subject says that Ford sees the that plant as a source for many synthetic rubber car components such as cupholders, floor mats, and interior trim.
Using natural sources is actually nothing new to the automotive industry, according to Philip Gott, managing director of IHS Automotive, who said this in his Times interview:
"Far from 'greenwashing', there has been a longstanding effort on the part of industry to use natural plants to produce manufactured goods," he wrote in an e-mail. "I can tell you that my father worked on making rubber from the milk of milkweed during World War II, for example." Mr. Gott added that European automakers are also "looking at bio-feedstock for materials."
A representative from Ford stated in the Times article that only about 10 to 20 percent of CO2 emissions are tied up in manufacturing. The remaining 80 to 90 percent comes from vehicle operation and fuel production.