AGRO 173 |
| Natural rubber, biosynthesized cis-1,4-polyisoprene, is the largest single volume elastomer in commerce, at ca. 9 million tons sold globally per year. It is a strategic raw material used in thousands of applications; critically in medical devices, personal protective equipment, and specialty industrial uses, especially aircraft tires. The US imports virtually all natural rubber used from Hevea brasiliensis rubber trees grown in Asia and Africa. Primarily due to its molecular structure, natural rubber displays outstanding performance properties that, despite significant investment and innovation, have not been duplicated by synthetically-produced polymers. Natural rubber latex prices have increased over 80% since the beginning of 2005. A 3 million ton shortage has been predicted over the next 10-15 years, driven by Asian growth, influenced by petroleum supply and price, and expected to worsen before it improves. Guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a woody desert shrub indigenous to the southwestern US, produces high molecular weight cis-1,4-polyisoprene with very low residual protein content, and has entered the commercial arena as an alternative material for the manufacture of medical devices safe for people suffering from Type I IgE-mediated Hevea latex allergies. Cultivation of guayule for latex production provides the favorable economics to support commercialization; moreover, the agricultural coproduct/bagasse produced with every ton of latex may prove key to its long term sustainable competitive advantage. The resin-rich bagasse shows significant promise as a feedstock for fuel production. Collection of the entire plant is required to harvest the rubber, the material is in the form of a finely divided dry solid after rubber extraction, and energy content is very high, even in comparison to proposed energy crops. The guayule biorefinery model ultimately describes production of high value primary product, coproducts, and bioenergy. |
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Agricultural Biomass, Biobased Products, and Biofuels
1:30 PM-5:10 PM, Wednesday, March 28, 2007 McCormick Place South -- Room S103D, Level 1, Oral
Division of Agrochemicals |