Prague — Mitas is planning to test the first agriculture tire made from agricultural cultivated crops. Rubber extracted from the Taraxacum koksaghyz (Kazakh dandelion) will complement rubber tree latex in the compound of agriculture tires produced by Mitas. The goal is to have the first prototype of the dandelion tire during 2015. Mitas is also currently involved in the Drive4EU project researching the possibilities of using rubber from the Kazakh dandelion.

"We are examining different ways to use natural and renewable materials to produce our tires," said Andrew Mabin, Mitas’ sales and marketing director. "Our research and development department is actively seeking new ways of improving our manufacturing process which includes researching new raw materials or substitutes. We are one of several tire manufacturers researching the benefits of the Kazakh dandelion in producing a more sustainable rubber for our tires."

Cultivation of the Taraxacum koksaghyz as a rubber-producing crop is one of the innovative ways of extracting rubber. As part of the Drive4EU project, Mitas is responsible for testing the characteristics and features of "rubber" derived from the plant. The objective is to find a new source of rubber with the same or better characteristics than those of the rubber tree.