Edison Agrosciences, a US-based biomaterials developer, has successfully raised $600,000 in seed financing to propel its innovative work in developing sunflower crops for rubber production. The financing round saw participation from St. Louis, Missouri-based BioGenerator, the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC), Crisp & Company, LLC, and other investors. These funds will be crucial in scaling up Edison Agrosciences’ operations and enhancing its seed breeding program.
The company has also announced the addition of Tom Marsh, a seasoned veteran of the rubber industry, to its board of directors. Marsh brings a wealth of experience and a robust network within the rubber supply chain, which could prove invaluable as Edison Agrosciences moves forward with its ambitious plans.
While the feared “rubber apocalypse” triggered by Covid-era supply chain disruptions has subsided, the need for alternative sources of natural rubber remains pressing in the United States and globally. David Woodburn, CEO of Edison Agrosciences, highlights the vulnerability of the current rubber supply chain, noting, “Roughly 90% of all natural rubber is grown in Southeast Asia, and every one of those trees is a clone of seeds exported out of South America in the nineteenth century. Every one of those trees is susceptible to a disease called South American leaf blight (SALB).”
SALB, a fungal disease, has historically devastated rubber production in South and Central America. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has emphasized the urgent need for quarantine measures against the disease, as synthetic fungicides have failed to prevent large-scale losses and dieback of trees. This underscores the critical need for alternative sources of natural rubber.
Natural rubber is indispensable in various applications, from tires and personal protective gear to shoe soles and seal rings. Due to its superior tensile strength and resistance to tears and heat, it is often viewed as superior to synthetic rubber made from petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. For high-performance items like airline tires, natural rubber remains the only viable option.
Edison Agrosciences is leveraging sunflowers as a source of natural rubber. Initially, the company experimented with genetic modification to increase rubber content in plants but has since pivoted to a breeding approach. “We’ve proven out that the rubber accumulation is actually influenced by genetics, which means that we can breed for it,” says Woodburn. Sunflowers, which naturally contain 1-2% of their weight in rubber, are already cultivated on about 1 million acres in the United States, with potential for expansion.
The new funding will enable Edison Agrosciences to scale its operations, producing the quantities of rubber needed to collaborate with industry partners and conduct physical and mechanical testing. Additionally, the funds will support further development of the company’s breeding program. “We continue to run diversity trials, exploratory trials, to find new genetic lines for sunflower and enter that information into the model. Then we make those crosses and continue development of those to get higher and higher levels of rubber in the sunflower plants,” explains Woodburn.
Despite the relatively modest size of the funding round, Woodburn emphasizes that Edison Agrosciences has been structured to be “extremely lean and capital efficient,” having operated on roughly $100,000 in investor equity over the past four years. Previous funding has come from the US Department of Defense and the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator.
The biggest challenge for Edison Agrosciences is generating demand for a product that addresses a future need rather than an immediate one. “The South American leaf blight hasn’t hit Southeast Asia yet, so it’s not a problem today,” says Woodburn. However, the industry recognizes the serious threat posed by the blight. To mitigate this challenge, Edison Agrosciences is targeting specialty applications with higher pricing and lower volume before eventually moving on to commodity rubber.
The company’s sustainability angle may also drive demand. Natural rubber from Southeast Asia often involves deforestation, while synthetic rubber production is energy-intensive and generates hazardous waste. Major tire companies like Michelin and Goodyear have pledged to make their tires from sustainable materials by 2050, presenting an opportunity for Edison Agrosciences. “We may be able to help them out by replacing some of these synthetic materials with sunflower rubber,” says Woodburn.
As Edison Agrosciences moves forward, the combination of innovative technology, strategic funding, and experienced leadership positions the company to make significant strides in the quest for sustainable natural rubber.