NEWS worthy Clips (2/2)

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Another rubber Tree Plant

In the Arizona desert, the start of what could be a whole new industry

New opportunities

Seemingly, Yulex has reached its tipping point*. It signed an in 2005 to sell its latex worldwide through Centrotrade, an international natural-rubber supplier and. Yulex also has its eye on a boutique niche: medical devices such as catheters or angioplasty balloons. In this market, guayule’s nonallergenic qualities merit a premium over Hevea, while its greater elasticity and lower resistance make it a better choice than similarly priced synthetics. Look for guayule surgical gloves, too. They don’t cause hand fatigue* like synthetic gloves do.

Martin estimates the medical niche alone is worth $7 billion. “Our model is not to replace Hevea,” he says. “It’s to the share carved out by synthetics.” Yulex really has no hope of going mass-market unless tropical rubber prices explode. And it could happen. The International Rubber Study Group forecasts a 50 percent increase in rubber consumption by 2002. If that happens, Yulex hope to meet demand with guayule consumer goods such as utility gloves, gaskets and rubber bands. To make that leap, it would have to expand its guayule acreage to 400,000. supplying tire manufacturers. Yulex is already with farmers in Australia.

New industy

But wait, there’s more. What’s left from the guayule plant afrer rubber is extracted can be turned into adhesives*, coatings, even termite-resistant particleboard. “Guayule also has a high enemy content that has potential applications as a biofuel*,” says Colleen McMahan, a USDA research chemist.

Standing amid the Maricopa guayule fields. I feel a profound sense of being in on the ground floor*. Martin predicts that in 10 years, Yulex will be known for making a full range of guayule goods. “We’re not talking about just coming out with a new product,” Martin says. “This is a whole new industy.”

Vocabulary Focus

adhesive(n)--- something such as glue or pasted, that causes two surfaces to stick together

in on the ground floor (idiom)--- to become involved in something from the beginning

Specialized terms

tipping point(n phr)--- 关键性的转折点 the decisive moment when a build up of small changes effects a big change

hand fatigue(n phr)--- 手部疲劳 extreme tiredness in the hands

biofuel(n)--- 生物燃料 a source of energy made from renewable natural resources such as plant matter or vegetable oils