Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

The Preparation and Properties of Thermo-reversibly Cross-linked Rubber Via Diels-Alder Chemistry
Published on: August 25, 2016
Establishment of new crops for the production of natural rubber
Jan B van Beilen1, Yves Poirier
1Département de Biologie Moléculaire Végétale, Biophore, Université de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. jan@vanbeilen.com
Abstract:
Natural rubber is a unique biopolymer of strategic importance that, in many of its most significant applications, cannot be replaced by synthetic alternatives. The rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis is the almost exclusive commercial source of natural rubber currently and alternative crops should be developed for several reasons, including: a disease risk to the rubber tree that could potentially decimate current production, a predicted shortage of natural rubber supply, increasing allergic reactions to rubber obtained from the Brazilian rubber tree and a general shift towards renewables. This review summarizes our knowledge of plants that can serve as alternative sources of natural rubber, of rubber biosynthesis and the scientific gaps that must be filled to bring the alternative crops into production.
Related Concept Videos
Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
Production of Organic Acids
Plant Tissue Culture
Production of Antibiotics
The Calvin Benson Cycle
Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

