User:Cptccptc/Clean Gum

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Chewing gum pollution has reached epidemic proportions in many of the major cities in the world. Even in Singapore you can see chewing gum stuck to pavements. In the UK some 8 billion gums are sold every year. If you make a conservative estimate that 10% of these are disposed of irresponsibly that leaves 800 million  gum cuds which is equivalent to 30 gums dropped every second. The need for a clean gum which can easily be removed from pavements, clothes, carpets etc is a high priority for the chewing gum industry. A UK company, Revolymer Ltd., based in North Wales  has developed the first commercial removable and degradable gum. The technology works by incorporating a novel amphiphilic  copolymer into the chewing gum base. The figure shows how the gums disintegrate, when stirred gently in water, compared to a conventional gum. The gum is now on sale in the USA  and will soon be launched in Europe. Several patents exist on this technology. There have been many press reports on the science behind the gum including   articles in New Scientist and Chemistry World.