BKT & Kultevat to explore use of TKS dandelion in tyre making

Off-highway tyre manufacturer BKT has entered into a joint research agreement with Kultevat, a leading US bio-tech company specialising in the cultivation and processing of TKS dandelion as a renewable and sustainable alternative to natural rubber. The agreement will explore the wider use of TKS dandelion, a species of dandelion native to Kazakhstan. The plant has the potential to be used in the production of high quality rubbers used in the tyre manufacturing process. All studies, analyses, experimentation
April 23, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Off-highway tyre manufacturer 7297 BKT has entered into a joint research agreement with Kultevat, a leading US bio-tech company specialising in the cultivation and processing of TKS dandelion as a renewable and sustainable alternative to natural rubber.

The agreement will explore the wider use of TKS dandelion, a species of dandelion native to Kazakhstan. The plant has the potential to be used in the production of high quality rubbers used in the tyre manufacturing process. All studies, analyses, experimentation and testing will be carried out at BKT´s modern research and development centre, known as the ‘Suresh Poddar Innovation Hub’.

The 25-hectare hub sits within the company’s production site in Bhuj, India. At its opening last year, BKT announced a series of ambitious projects related to sustainable materials, including research into alternatives to natural and synthetic rubber as well as the development of high-performance compounds with nanomaterials and nanocomposites.

The BKT-Kultevat TKS dandelion-based project is fully in line with latest industry requirements and the European Commission’s recommendations concerning critical raw materials.

For more information on companies in this article

BKT

Related Content

  • Sripath and sustainable surfaces
    December 9, 2024
    Deepak Madan* explains how Sripath’s portfolio of products helps paving contractors achieve their sustainability goals.
    Read More
  • Cheaper, greener and less smelly; it’s all about the additives
    August 20, 2015
    The demand for bitumen additives is set to increase. Kristina Smith reports on some of the companies who are preparing to meet that increased demand. The variation in quality and composition of bitumen around the world is something that has been well-documented in these pages. Processing technologies for crude oil are changing, the way bitumen is traded is changing, and the final result can be a product that may not be all it seems – or huge variations from one shipment to another. Help is at hand, however,
    Read More
  • Major gains in concrete plant technology
    June 28, 2013
    There is a great deal of innovation across the concrete plant, pump and truck mixer sector. Guy Woodford looks at what some of the sector’s biggest names are offering. CIFA managing director Davide Cipolla believes the Zoomlion-owned Italian firm has “not reached the limit” of what it can offer customers, thanks to a significant investment in research and development. Speaking about a US$2.57 million-a-year (€2million) R&D investment in CIFA and some Zoomlion products over the last five years Cipolla, who i
    Read More
  • LiuGong invests hard to be seen as made, tested and supported in Europe
    January 26, 2018
    LiuGong is investing hard in Europe, determined to be seen as a global player whose products are “made in Europe, tested in Europe and supported in Europe.” Along with new European headquarters based in Warsaw, LiuGong is also opening up a new European production line and a new continent-wide parts distribution centre at its Dressta manufacturing centre in Stalowa Wola. Geoff Hadwick reports
    Read More

Highlighted Content