Nova-BioRubber Green Technologies Inc (NovaBioRubber) has developed novel growing and green processing technologies for the production of hypoallergenic and sustainable biolatex, biorubber and inulin from annual rubber plant Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS) to solve latex allergy and obesity issues. TKS takes 4 months to grow and contains up to 40% inulin and 24% biorubber.

Latex allergy problem is the severe sensitization of the skin to the proteins in latex products derived from the sap of the Brazilian Hevea rubber tree. Latex allergy can be very severe, career ending, and has even resulted in severe anaphylaxis and death. Data shows that approximately 10%-17% of healthcare workers and as many as 73% of patients with spina bifida have been diagnosed with a latex allergy. Latex allergy prevalence in the general population is 6.4% that is 500 million people worldwide.

Currently, the Brazilian Heveatree is the only source of commercial latex and natural rubber. Hevea tree takes 8 years to grow in Southeast Asia and the latex causes latex allergy.

Latex is a dispersion of rubber microparticles (proteins, resins and gums) in an aqueous medium. Latex as found in nature is milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants. Natural rubber is obtained from Latex. Latex is also used to make many other products including latex mattresses, medical gloves, swim caps, catheters and balloons. Almost all latex products are produced from latex obtained from the Brazilian Hevea tree, grown in tropical countries. Some people have serious latex allergies which are frequently specific to the proteins derived specifically from the Hevea tree.

Rubber is a dry elastic polymer which can be produced from either plant sources (called natural rubber or biorubber) or synthetically from various petroleum by products (called synthetic rubber). Currently, approximately 33% of the world rubber market is natural rubber, and 64% of the world rubber market is synthetic rubber. Natural rubber and biorubber have the advantage that they are naturally produced, and for some applications have better physical characteristics compared to synthetic rubber.

Inulin is a soluble dietary fiber and prebiotic food additive with powerful health benefits.  Inulin — a type of fructan, oligofructose carbohydrate is considered a functional plant-based ingredient that effectively boosts digestion, weight loss and other processes. Inulin is the source of valuable sweetener, fructose syrup and bioethanol. Inulin is used in soft drinks, cereals, bakery, and dairy products.

NovaBioRubber’s biolatex is produced from annual rubber-bearing plant, Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS), also known as Russian Dandelion. Because NovaBioRubber’s biolatex is not derived from the Hevea tree it is not expected to produce allergic reactions in people that are allergic to Hevea derived latex. Early preclinical studies have confirmed this hypothesis. Third party evaluation reports from National Research Council Canada and Akron Rubber Development Lab are available upon request.

NovaBioRubber’s biorubber is also produced from TKS. It is extracted from the plant roots in an environmentally friendly manner which does not use any solvents or chemicals. Because TKS can be grown in North America, and rubber yields from the TKS plant are high, biorubber from TKS can be produced at a competitive price compared to biorubber produced from the Hevea tree. All growing and processing activities on TKS can be mechanized eliminating the manual labor.

In addition to biolatex and biorubber, TKS also contains a large amount (40%) of a product called Inulin, which can be used as a prebiotic food additive in food products such as soft drinks, yogurts, cookies and bread. Valuable fructose syrup and sweeteners can be produced easily via conventional methods.

NovaBioRubber has been performing field trials to grow TKS on various farms in British Columbia since 2012. All major agronomic development activities have been completed and the climate of British Columbia has been found ideal for growing TKS.

NovaBioRubber has also developed and patented a “green” extraction process for rubber recovery from rubber-bearing plants (US Patent #7,540,438). Recently, NovaBioRubber has completed the development of a prototype rubber extractor (US Patent #8,573,523) and has manufactured a large-scale rubber extractor and large-scale rubber purifier.

Green process provides significant savings in processing costs such as energy (50%), labour (80%), chemicals (100%) & water (90%) consumption. Therefore, the production cost is $1/kg of biorubber.

Green process is carried out continuously at room temperature. There is no wastewater nor toxic wastes created. The process is completely green and wastewater is recycled in closed loop.