From automobile and aircraft tires, to belts and hoses, natural rubber production is essential to modern production. Unfortunately, the world’s primary rubber supply—the tropical rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis—is shrinking, and supply chains originate outside of the U.S.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University are working with colleagues at The Ohio State University to accelerate natural rubber production in the United States.
Supported by $26 million in federal funding through a National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC), the OSU-led research project aims to enhance workforce development to fuel the new domestic industry.
Two faculty members from Case School of Engineering’s Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Gary Wnek and Valentin Rodionov, will lead the CWRU research teams for the Transformation of American Rubber through Domestic Innovation for Supply Security (TARDISS) ERC.
“It is exciting to be part of this team, which is truly an interdisciplinary one focused on a most timely and important topic,” Wnek shared.