Russian dandelions as a source of rubber

摘要

Natural rubber is key to transportation, defense and many other industries. But the USA and other Western nations have to import 100% of this strategic resource from abroad, with inventories becoming alarmingly scarce and costs increasing almost seven-fold since 2002. Indeed, the USA alone spends US3.3 billion' a year on natural rubber. Additionally, natural-rubber supplies are becoming increasingly unstable as a result of rapidly expanding growth in China and India, a decline in rubber production due to industrialization in Southeast Asia, and increasing utilization of this material by former Soviet Bloc countries. Estimates indicate that demand will exceed supply in 2020 by approximately 15%.