Scientist: Terence Cosgrove, 60, Professor of Chemistry, University of Bristol and Chief Scientific Officer of Revolymer Ltd.

Field: Polymer chemistry.

Challenge: To make a chewing gum that doesn’t stick to the floor or furniture.

Solution: Carelessly discarded chewing gum costs the country millions of pounds a year to clean up. Professor Cosgrove and his team think that they have found the answer. Cosgrove developed the idea that new polymers — large molecules made up of repeated simple molecules — could be made from existing polymers. He and his team have used this idea to make a polymer which can be added to chewing gum. Cosgrove says: “Chewing gum is oil based, the new polymer makes it capable of absorbing more water.” He adds that this makes the gum degradable and it gives the chewing gum a lower energy surface, meaning that when it sticks to a surface it is easy to pull off. It is, he says, green because it is completely solvent free. It will also retain the properties of conventional gum, such as chewiness.

Tests show that the gum is easily removed from fabrics used to make train and coach seat covers using a mild detergent. The moisture retention properties of this technology may have applications in cosmetics, for example, making lips look moist for longer.

Downsides: The gum's effectiveness depends on local climatic conditions.

Timescale: The gum has approval from the American food safety authorities and is waiting for approval from the European Union. Could be commercially available from the middle of 2010.

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