Continental installs first machines in Taraxagum Lab Anklam research laboratory

Work on completing the test facilities is going ahead at the Taraxagum Lab Anklam. The first machines that will be used to extract rubber from dandelion roots were installed just a few days ago. “We are well on schedule,” says site manager Dr. Carsten Venz. “At first we were worried that the long winter would put a few obstacles in our way, but now things are progressing quickly.”

The aim is to use the first plant to obtain rubber from the dandelion roots from late fall. The extraction unit has a footprint of around 50 square meters and weighs almost 40 tons. With the plant up and running, the lab will be able to produce significantly more rubber in Anklam than was previously possible with the systems at the premises of test partner ZOZ in Olpe.

Continental is researching the industrialization of rubber from the Russian dandelion plant in the TLA (Taraxagum Lab Anklam) laboratory. The tire manufacturer aims to use dandelion rubber as a sustainable alternative to rubber from the rain forest, while at the same time reducing CO₂ emissions thanks to short transportation routes.