Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Rubber trees

plante1999 - 27-5-2013 at 03:57

Recently, I got the idea to grow my own isoprene using a rubber "tree". It is known that polyisoprene rubber decompose on pyrolysis to give a good amount of isoprene monomer, but that's not the subject.

There is many plant out there that contain considerable amount of latex, but most other plant than the hevea will be destroyed in the latex extraction, and are a lot more work. So up to the point I will be sure I can't grow a tree inside I will prefer hevea. There is Russian dandelions, ficus elastica, hevea etc...

I taught to grow the tree inside, yes inside. I don't think it will grow well outside in Canada, especially that the rubber is destroyed by sub zero temp.. My idea is to put it in a small, but strong plant pot and chop is top of at 3 feet or so, to limit is size, then wait until the diameter of the tree is big enough to start collecting the latex, since I'm not doing it to make cash, I'm not in need to start when the production is the strongest (7 years). It is reported that such tree give about 2 pound of latex per year at 8 years in a plantation.

Is this idea possible, or does anyone have better idea to keep the three inside/get a better tree?

It took me time, but I found an hevea seed supplier (minimal purchase 10$):

http://www.tropilab.com/heveabrasiliensis.html

PS: It is only for the fun of it.

[Edited on 27-5-2013 by plante1999]

Bezaleel - 28-5-2013 at 01:31

I wonder whether this will work or not. Often, insufficiently daylight at high geological latitudes will cause such plants not to grow well. Placing your tree before a window at the south may help, though, but not all houses have that.

Gearhead_Shem_Tov - 28-5-2013 at 02:04

Quote: Originally posted by plante1999  
...
There is many plant out there that contain considerable amount of latex, but most other plant than the hevea will be destroyed in the latex extraction, and are a lot more work. So up to the point I will be sure I can't grow a tree inside I will prefer hevea. There is Russian dandelions, ficus elastica, hevea etc...


I would think the Russian dandelions would be an easier solution for indoor growing since you could grow them (perhaps hydroponically) in stacked shallow trays interleaved with hi-efficiency red LED light panels. Red is what most plants grow best on, though blue is often needed at critical times to stimulate flowering or fruit production. This is handy because it means less heat, less electricity, and very high volumetric efficiency. A closet filled with a few dozen stacked trays might well outproduce a hevea seedling when you consider that dandelions grow so much faster than trees. You could also play around with light/dark ratios to see if you could force more growth with the higher ratios. This might not work with hevea since it's more of an equatorial plant. But dandelions would probably respond very well to, say 18 hours of light and six hours of darkness.

-Bobby

phlogiston - 28-5-2013 at 03:20

During WOII, the russian dandelion was used as an alternative source of rubber, yielding about 100-200 kg rubber per hectare.

So that would translate to about 10-20 grams of rubber if you can keep a square meter inside. I think the biggest advantage is time. You can start harvesting within a few months rather than waiting a few years. You can have multiple harvests of dandelions before the tree grows to any useful size.

ScienceSquirrel - 28-5-2013 at 03:41

Russian dandelion is the way to go.
It will grow well in Canada, it might even thrive!
You could fit a lot into a small back garden or even large pot and you will have a crop in months instead of years.
A rubber tree with it's need for tropical temperatures and light levels will be hopelessly impractical unless you move to the tropics! :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum_kok-saghyz

plante1999 - 28-5-2013 at 03:46

Another reason why I preferred to keep hevea is because I didn't found any supplier of Russian dandelion seeds. I see the advantages of hydroponics/ stacked culture, but my idea is not to make a kg of rubber per month, after all, it is not for selling. I take the idea in note, tough. What is problematic with dandelions, is that you need to cut the root off, and proceed it to get the latex, however it is a good candidate.

phlogiston - 28-5-2013 at 05:33

Some people think it might grow so well in Canada that it could become a pest someday:
http://cdnseed.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/RussianDandeli...

I was going to suggest contacting a database that stores seeds but after reading this article that may not be such a good idea. Translation of the 4th paragraph to English:

"That search for latex-rich dandelions is not always easy. "We had a test patch outside, but upon harvesting we found that the seed databases stocked the wrong kind of dandelion" says Van der Meer. That meant that the researchers had to go on expedition to the mountains of Kazachstan to search for the real Taraxacum koksaghyz.
Quote:
What is problematic with dandelions, is that you need to cut the root off, and proceed it to get the latex.


Perhaps if you mow your patch to cut everything above ground, and then sieve the soil that would be a quick method to get the roots?

[Edited on 28-5-2013 by phlogiston]

watson.fawkes - 28-5-2013 at 08:37

Quote: Originally posted by plante1999  
What is problematic with dandelions, is that you need to cut the root off, and proceed it to get the latex, however it is a good candidate.
Hydroponics. Perfectly feasible at the small scale you're talking about. Much easier harvesting.

hyfalcon - 28-5-2013 at 09:20

Still have find a seed source before that's a viable avenue.

unionised - 28-5-2013 at 10:33

Do ordinary dandelions work?
I realise the yield isn't going to be as good but importing plants sometimes upsets the authorities and if it's just a matter of putting up with, say, half the yield then it may not be worth the trouble

plante1999 - 28-5-2013 at 13:02

That'something I pointed out, there is no source for Russian dandelion seeds. Normal dandelion do work, but very badly.

It took me a large amount of time to even find an hevea seed supplier, imagine rare species!