BioIsopreneTM as the Foundation for Renewable/Sustainable Alternatives to Natural Rubber and Petroleum-Based Synthetic Rubber

Rubber is a critical and strategic industrial raw material for manufacturing a wide variety of products, ranging from medical devices and personal protective equipment to aircraft tires.  Presently, nearly all major manufacturers of rubber goods are dependent on either imported natural rubber (NR) from Hevea brasiliensis (i.e., the Brazilian rubber tree) or petroleum-based synthetic polymers as feedstocks.  Unfortunately, neither material is obtainable from domestic US sources in quantities sufficient to meet anticipated future demand.  In 2008, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, announced a program to co-develop BioIsoprene^TM as a revolutionary bio-based alternative to the petroleum-derived chemical compound isoprene. BioIsoprene^TM can be used for the production of synthetic elastomers and rubber, which in turn are alternatives to natural rubber.  The development of BioIsoprene^TM could make the tire and rubber industry less dependent on oil-derived products, such as synthetic rubber made from petroleum-derived isoprene or butadiene.  This paper provides an overview of current efforts to develop BioIsoprene^TM, ranging from the early motivations for developing BioIsoprene^TM to the most recent technical accomplishments.