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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Bioproducts Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308506
Title: 2013-2014 Production of guayule natural rubber in Arizona, U.S.A.

Author
item McMahan, Colleen
item JOHNSON, LAUREN - Panaridus
item Dong, Chen
item KING, BRUCE - Panaridus
item FRALEY, MICHAEL - Panaridus

Submitted to: Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a woody perennial shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, is under cultivation in southern Arizona, U.S.A., for production of natural rubber and resins. In 2013, a new extraction processing plant opened in Casa Grande, Arizona, owned and operated by PanAridus, LLC, supplying guayule natural rubber bales for evaluation and commercial development. Physical and chemical properties of guayule rubber representing 30+ lots from extraction process trials were determined. Overall, most lots showed excellent quality natural rubber meeting ISO specifications for Hevea NR.

Technical Abstract: Natural rubber is a unique biopolymer whose physical properties cannot be replicated in synthetic alternatives; therefore, it is required for production of tires (passenger, truck, and aircraft) and thousands of consumer and medical products. While demand for natural rubber is expected to increase rapidly, supplies from the tropical rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, are constrained by competing land, forest conservation, and diseases. The United States Congress has recognized the strategic importance of natural rubber to the US economy and defense by designating it as a US Critical Agricultural Material (Critical Agricultural Materials Act, Public Law 95–592, November 4, 1970, as amended through P.L. 113–79, Enacted February 07, 2014). Alternative domestic sources of natural rubber are essential. Guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a woody perennial shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, is under cultivation in southern Arizona, U.S.A., for production of natural rubber and resins. In 2013, a new extraction processing plant opened in Casa Grande, Arizona, owned and operated by PanAridus, LLC, supplying guayule natural rubber bales for evaluation and commercial development. Rubber extraction process trials were performed based on established solvent extraction technology; agronomic and process parameters were optimized during production of over 30 lots of material. Physical and chemical testing of these materials was performed, including determination of residual volatiles, % dirt, % ash, plasticity, and plasticity retention, a measure of thermo-oxidative stability, all by ASTM methods. In addition, molecular weight by gel permeation chromatography and extractables by accelerated solvent extraction were monitored. Results indicate excellent quality natural rubber meeting ISO specifications for Hevea NR.