NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Bridgestone Americas Inc. a research grant to advance its work with the desert shrub guayule, a potential source of a natural rubber latex alternative that could be used in tire production.
The grant, the value of which was not disclosed, comes from the DOE's Joint Genome Institute, a Berkeley, Calif.-based entity with a declared mission to advance genomics in support of DOE missions related to clean-energy generation and environmental characterization and cleanup.
Bridgestone has spent more than decade cultivating and studying the drought-resistant at a guayule processing and research center in Mesa, Ariz.
The DOE Joint Genome Institute research grant aims to sequence and map genes of three guayule varieties to optimize the rubber yield of the plant, Bridgestone said. Field tests will be conducted at Bridgestone guayule research centers and farms in California, New Mexico and Italy in addition to the research complex near Mesa.
"Guayule shows tremendous potential for advancing the biodiversity of natural rubber sourcing and introducing alternatives to existing crops in water-starved areas such as America's desert southwest," William Niaura, director of sustainable materials and circular economy for Bridgestone Americas, said.
"This grant will accelerate our efforts to create a sustainable model for growing and harvesting guayule at scale, which we are aiming to achieve by the end of the decade."
Bridgestone said it has invested more than $100 million in its efforts to commercialize guayule, achieving advances such as producing the first tire made from guayule-derived rubber i— 2015, and continued expansion of its guayule molecular breeding program.
In addition to the Mesa research center, Bridgestone set up a 281-acre guayule farm in 2013 in Eloy, Ariz., to support its work.
Bridgestone also said it is expanding the number of local farmers it works with in central Arizona, who are working to convert their farmland to harvest guayule, which has served as a solution to previously failing crops due to growing water shortages affecting the environment.
Through this collaboration with local farmers, 200 new acres of guayule are expected to be planted this year. The conversion to less water-intensive crops is a direct result of Bridgestone's agreement with the Environmental Defense Fund, a non-governmental organization involved in water shortage solutions for the Colorado River, which is used for irrigation in Central Arizona.
Bridgestone's guayule research programs tie into the company's vision to provide social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company, Among the company's goals aimed at the realization of a circular economy and carbon neutrality are a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 (compared with 2011), achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and making tires from 100% renewable materials by 2050.
