Guayule: the rubber industry’s Tesla Hybrid »
Let’s say you’re being offered a free car; would you choose the car with 500 horsepower and hand-stitched Italian leather interior, or the car that had all those features and was also a hybrid and better for the environment?
Manufacturers face a similar situation when evaluating traditional and synthetic rubber materials against guayule natural rubber for their products. Tropical natural rubber is high performance but has risks associated with tight supplies overseas and poses health dangers to those with a Type 1 latex allergy. Synthetic rubber can be less expensive, but then performance is sacrificed and it has the environmental costs of being a petrochemical product. However, because rubber made from the guayule plant is both environmentally sustainable and even higher performing than tropical natural rubber, it’s no wonder why guayule rubber has been replacing synthetic, petroleum-based materials as well as imported natural rubber in a wide variety of products.
In a time when society’s emphasis on environmental accountability is ever increasing, manufacturers are beginning to break away from traditional materials and are embracing more sustainable materials, such as guayule latex, in an array of industries. Guayule is a domestic plant grown in the Southwestern United States, which means American manufacturers choosing to use guayule-based materials in their products are helping save the approximately 1,885,700 gallons of fuel a cargo ship transporting rubber from Southeast Asia would consume.
Not only is the carbon footprint of industrial guayule latex smaller than traditional Hevea –based materials, but energy could actually be recovered during the process of producing guayule latex. Bagasse, the byproduct of latex extraction, can be used in the organosolv process to generate energy equivalent to that produced from coal, only much cleaner! In addition, guayule thrives in an ecosystem where other crops can’t grow, so it doesn’t create competition with other industrialized crops for ground surface.
While it’s clear that guayule latex is more environmentally friendly than traditional latex, other reasons are persuading more manufacturers to use this breakthrough material. Latex has become an essential part of preventing the spread of infectious diseases, especially in medical gloves and condoms, but along with the increased use of latex has been an increase in latex allergies. About three million Americans suffer from a latex allergy, but guayule-based latex is hypoallergenic, which means these latex-sensitive people can still receive the same degree of protection against the spread of infectious disease. One study proves that guayule latex is a safe alternative to traditional Hevea-based latex for those with Type I Hev-b latex allergies. The study points to guayule’s unique protein structure to explain. The study shows that guayule latex is low in protein and that its proteins are not recognized by human antibodies specific for Hev-b latex proteins. For those suffering with a latex allergy, Yulex® Natural Rubber is the luxurious hybrid of the rubber industry, complete with hand-stitched Italian leather interior.
Reducing environmental impact and not being problematic for those with sensitivities are both great qualities, but the bottom line is the quality of products produced with the material. A story published in “Discoveries & Breakthroughs Inside Science” relays that in a test, Yulex Natural Rubber made from guayule was more flexible and could withstand nearly twice the amount of force as traditional latex. The strength of guayule-based materials has also been put to the test in the form of tires, building materials and other industrial products.
The decreased carbon emission from shipping, its sustainable nature and the potential for energy production make Yulex Natural Rubber the most environmentally friendly material in the rubber industry. Combined with its safety for those with a latex allergy and its increased strength and flexibility, Yulex Natural Rubber is the Tesla hybrid of the rubber industry.
How I became a “guayulero” »
Dominic Michelin
A native of France, Dominic Michelin is earning his master’s degree in translation from the University of Paris. He chose to focus on guayule for his research paper. He shares his guayule story below in our first of several planned guest posts.
I could almost say my “affair” with guayule started unexpectedly on a sunny day in August in my centuries-old cool stony little house located in Northern Burgundy, France.
Television was on and I was, rather than watching, listening to it from afar. I suddenly caught a couple of distant words from the current report that happened to be shot in the southern French region of Montpellier. I understood something about a new experimental crop originating from somewhere in southwestern America. My attention grew and I could catch a glimpse of a small green field and a few last words about a promising new plant, the name of which I could never get as the report was drawing to an end.
As a matter of chance, my mind had been on the watch for a while, being at the turn of a new professional life, aiming at becoming a specialized translator from English and Spanish to French, and looking for an original and specific research subject for my paper in the field of environment. I grabbed my laptop right away, and started to follow backwards the narrow path starting from the television channel site, and discovered what the report was all about.
I didn’t know yet that guayule had already cast its spell on me. From that moment, everything went quickly. I got in touch with people around the world who all seemed to be ready to share their passion and hopes about this weird little shrub so full of secrets and assets.
As I moved on along the track, I had the strange and secure feeling that I had found my new research paper subject. I couldn’t believe how this plant was unknown and famous at the same time, as I discovered its history. The more I found, the more I liked it. Be it its etymology, its origins, its checkered history, exciting present and so hopeful future, I felt I had found a new invention or discovery, likely to be part of the current century environmental and economical peaks.
Here I am today, having collected lots of documentation on guayule, met guayule fans via internet and in France, checking libraries old shelves to know more about the magical shrub I have been advertising and promoting. Since then, I have learned a lot about botany, agronomy, latex properties and rubber industry and a whole world to discover is still ahead.
Last but not least, I feel happy and honored to have been able and allowed to translate – as the most interesting part of my research paper – a substantial extract of the most recent, extensive and qualitative work done on the subject. I do hope I’ll be part of the great – hopefully best ever – revival of guayule for the 21st century.
- Dominic Michelin
Yulex CEO Featured Speaker at Bio-Based Conference »
Jeff Martin, CEO of Yulex Corp., addressed 250 executives and researchers working to advance the commercialization of bio-based chemicals at the Next Generation Bio-Based Chemicals Conference in San Diego Feb. 9.
In the same way that petroleum and natural gas provided the basis for an enormous petrochemicals industry beginning over 50 years ago, living plant-based materials are being used to create a clean, bio-based chemicals industry today.
Yulex CEO Jeff Martin addresses executives at the Next Generation Bio-Based Chemicals Conference.
Martin spoke on a panel that also included companies like OPX Biotechnologies, a Boulder, Colo. startup commercializing a bio-based acrylic, and Huntsman, a Texas-based global manufacturer of chemicals, which is developing bio-based surfactants.
Martin explained to the crowd how Yulex had profitably advanced and commercialized natural rubber latex materials from guayule from its base of operations in the U.S. Southwest. He also touched on the company’s plans for expanding its production facility and expanding into Western Texas as well as Australia where it already has a foothold.
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“Without natural rubber, literally the country doesn’t roll,” said Martin about the critical strategic importance of rubber in the U.S. economy.
The company’s rubber yields from guayule have grown significantly in recent years through selective breeding alone, Martin said. Now the yield per acre is on par with that of a rubber tree plantation, and Martin said a geneticist has joined the company’s team to help enhance rubber latex production through a ramped up natural breeding program.
With 40,000 products made from natural rubber, Yulex is carefully targeting higher value products including high end sporting equipment and apparel as well as the existing medical markets it supplies. The company has achieved profitability based on its current business model, but Martin said there is value in the plant’s resins which are similar to pine resins used in many consumer and industrial products especially for adhesive applications.
Guayule biomass is also being explored as a source for biofuels. Currently, the bagasse or leftover plant material at the company’s Maricopa, Arizona facility is sold to Scott’s Miracle Gro which is able to use the product as part of its famous line of fertilizer products. However, Martin said that the bagasse could be used to generate energy for the Yulex production plant and for sale.
Yulex currently works closely with several Arizona Indian tribes ensuring land and water is available for guayule cultivation, and Martin explained that many former cotton growers have found the switch to guayule an easy one as the planting and harvesting practices are comparable, although guayule requires less water once established. Martin described cotton as a “failing industry” in the U.S. noting that 50 years ago, there were 30 million acres of cotton growing here, and that today there is less than 9 million. Finding crops that help growers in the U.S. Southwest diversify is an additional benefit that Yulex Corp. brings to the region.
For more, see http://yulex.com.
Guayule – A Promising Crop from the Desert »
Indiana Public Media, the NPR channel in that state, featured guayule on its “Moment in Science” series.
The report emphasizes the usefulness of guayule’s rubber content as well as its potential to produce energy from leftover biomass after rubber extraction. Because it’s a desert crop, requiring comparatively little water to produce and the rubber extraction process uses water and no harsh solvents, the report also acknowledges that it is a relatively clean product whether used for energy, rubber or both. Have a listen on their website.
Yulex: Arizona’s 2009 Green Innovator of the Year »
Jim Mitchell (center) of Yulex accepts Green Innovator of the Year Award
Guayule materials got a green stamp of approval on November 19 when the Arizona Technology Council presented Yulex Corporation with the Green Innovator of the Year award at the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation gala in Phoenix. The award is given to an Arizona-based company in the technology industry each year, and recognizes Yulex’s scientific advancements and its commitment to providing environmentally supportive and sustainable products.
Yulex Corporation (headquartered in the Greater Phoenix area since 2007) has put the region at the epicenter of a new sustainable, made-in-the-U.S.A. industry supplying biobased material to many different industries that make medical, consumer and industrial products. The guayule-based product can be used in everything from shoes to mattresses, cleaning products and automotive products among others.
“Receiving this award is an honor and a testament to the clean tech business the Yulex team has built in Arizona,” says Jeff Martin, President and CEO of Yulex Corporation. “We’re experiencing growing demand for Yulex® natural rubber materials from manufacturers seeking to use renewable high-performance materials for their customers while minimizing the use of petroleum-based synthetics in their product designs.”
Also see: Local company wins “green” award
