It is ‘flourishing’: China’s man-made forest in Gobi produces good rubber for military use

Chinese scientists are planting high-value alternative “rubber trees” in the Gobi Desert.China is the world’s largest consumer and importer of natural rubber, mainly to support its massive car sector. Consumption last year is expected to have exceeded 7 million tonnes, over 85 per cent of it imported.However, the unique Chinese medicinal plant Duzhong (scientific name Eucommia ulmoides) may help to resolve this dependency.While its bark is a valued material in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Duzhong is also a unique source of natural rubber in China, and is the world’s second-biggest natural rubber resource.Duzhong rubber is excellent for military use – adding just 3 to 5 per cent can improve the durability and wear resistance of high-performance, puncture-resistant tyres. It is also used to produce advanced electromagnetic shielding composites.Duzhong was mainly cultivated in central and southern China, particularly on the Yangtze Plain. But yields were limited and the rubber extraction process was challenging.