Green processing technology firm Nova-Biorubber has completed testing of a hypoallergenic biolatex from a rubber plant and claim it can provide new market opportunities for latex and rubber product manufacturers following “excellent” results.
The third-party testing agency – Akron Rubber Development Lab – issued official test results for two biolatex samples demonstrating antigenic protein content below detection. This provides product manufacturers the ability to deliver hypoallergenic and sustainable (plant-based) latex/rubber products. Biolatex is produced from annual rubber plant Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS) in British Columbia, Canada. TKS takes only four months to grow and contains up to 24% rubber and 40% inulin (a dietary fibre).
Dr. Jeff Martin, President/CEO of Yulex Corporation said: “These are excellent results and quite encouraging. Developments like these are in complete alignment with Yulex’s vision of protecting and improving the health of people and the planet by replacing petroleum-based and toxic materials with safe, plant-based specialty natural rubber and energy.”
Dr Anvar Buranov, CEO of Nova-BioRubber, added: “It’s great to get these results. Many products, and the way they are produced, are going to significantly change. We’re going to see many more non-allergenic and non-odorous biolatex and biorubber products introduced to the market, including critical medical products like gloves and catheters, as well as other products like latex mattresses, pillows, yoga mats, condoms, wetsuits, swim caps, balloons, and much, much more.”
“We’re particularly proud of our sustainable methods of production. We extract our biorubber, biolatex and inulin from the annual rubber plant TKS using a patented green process that is a unique combination of mechanical forces in a dry medium, resulting in energy savings, labour costs, and reduced water consumption. The process also has no chemical emissions.”