Yulex Corporation makes products from
Guayule (''
Parthenium argentatum'') a residual agricultural material.
Commercial success
In 2008, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Yulex biorubber gloves for medical uses. Yulex is the first company to produce biobased, medical-grade
latex that is safe for people with latex allergy.
In 2012, Yulex received a $6.9 million
USDA-DoE grant as part of a research consortium. Partnering with the
Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...
(ARS) and
Cooper Tire
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is an American company that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sales of replacement automobile and truck tires, and has subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle, and racing tires. W ...
, Yulex will research enhanced manufacturing processes, testing and utilization of guayule natural rubber as a strategic source of raw material in tires, and evaluate the remaining biomass of the guayule plant as a source of bio-fuel for the transportation industry, as well work on improving agronomic practices, developing genetic information and undertaking a lifecycle analysis.
Also in 2012, Yulex released the first alternative to the traditional neoprene wetsuit in partnership with
Patagonia, the first guayule-based mattresses and pillows in partnership with
Pure LatexBliss, and the first plant-based, latex allergy-friendly dental dam in partnership with 4D Rubber.
In 2013, Yulex formed a partnership with ENI's
Versalis
Versalis (''Polimeri Europa'' till 5 April 2012) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Italian oil supermajor Eni specializing in the production of chemicals. With more than 5,000 employees and a production of about 9.5 million tons of chemical produ ...
to expand the reach of guayule into European markets.
See also
*''
Parthenium argentatum''
*
Rubber
References
External links
{{wikispecies-inline
Official website
Companies established in 2000
Companies based in Arizona