Skip to main content

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

Related Content

  • A breakthrough in the horizontal reuse of PA (porous asphalt)
    May 12, 2016
    An ambitious objective has led to significant steps in the reuse of PA (porous asphalt). While the market incidentally produces PA with a maximum of 30% of recovered raw materials, BAM has introduced its own innovations, enabling more than 90% of raw materials to be reused. And this year, subsidies from the European Commission will enable the LE2AP demonstration project to be constructed: one kilometre of sustainable PA. Large-scale production is also being developed.
  • SWARCO’s sustainable SOLIDPLUS glass beads
    March 17, 2023
    SWARCO Road Marking Systems says that its next generation SOLIDPLUS premium reflective glass beads combine greater road safety as well as being sustainably produced
  • Next-generation materials testing with new technology
    August 17, 2022
    The US’s Balanced Mix Design sets the stage for next-generation performance testing, according to CONTROLS’ Andrea Carlessi
  • Skanska and Kraton boost RAP use with called SYLVAROAD™ RP1000
    November 23, 2017
    The city of Västerås in central Sweden is known as a centre for industrial automation and information technology. Innovation abounds here and with it comes strong environmental efforts – meeting carbon reduction goals and maximising the recycling process, for example. A road construction project just outside this picturesque city highlights such innovation.