In today’s construction and transport industries—where material durability must go hand in hand with environmental responsibility—the search for alternative raw materials has become a priority. Drawing on best market practices in the production of specialized butyl compounds, we are developing an innovative project that utilizes chewing gum waste in sealing technologies.
Waste Characteristics: A Global Problem with Industrial Potential
Chewing gum is a product of major economic significance, but also a serious burden on the ecosystem. Traditional gum bases consist of synthetic polymers that are nearly completely resistant to natural degradation.
- Extreme durability: The decomposition process of discarded chewing gum can take up to 100 years.
- Scale of pollution: It is estimated that discarded gum generates over 105 tons of hard-to-remove waste annually, equivalent to loading approximately 5,000 large railway wagons—forming a train nearly 75 kilometers long.
- Difficult disposal: Due to high biological resistance, disposal has so far relied on costly and environmentally unfriendly incineration.
The very properties that make gum a problematic waste—its elasticity, hydrophobicity, and durability—are being transformed into advantages for a modern industrial raw material.
Application in the Circular Economy Model: Recycling and Cost Efficiency
Implementing Circular Economy principles in the construction materials sector requires a creative approach to secondary raw materials. Our research currently focuses on post-production waste, which we divide into pure polymer base and base containing food-grade additives.
- Composition similarity: Chemically, chewing gum is closely related to professional sealants; its main components include polyisobutylene, rosin esters, and mineral fillers such as talc and calcium carbonate.
- Cost efficiency: Using this type of waste significantly reduces the consumption of expensive virgin elastomers such as butyl rubber (IIR). As waste is a low-cost and widely available secondary raw material, this directly translates into optimized raw material procurement costs and a lower final product price.
- Unique added value: Waste containing food additives may introduce natural stabilizers (antioxidants) into formulations, improving thermal resistance and limiting plasticizer migration.
Technological Challenges: The Biostabilization Barrier
Although chewing gum waste contains valuable raw materials, its processing presents a key challenge: the presence of food additives such as flavorings, sweeteners, sugars, and taste enhancers.
- Microbial growth medium: These substances provide an easily assimilable carbon source, potentially stimulating unwanted microflora growth, particularly molds and bacteria.
- Operating conditions: Sealants often function in high-humidity environments, which promote microbiological colonization.
- Risk of biodegradation: The presence of sugars may lead to aesthetic degradation and deterioration of technical properties during use.
Scientific Foundation of Safety
To ensure the highest protection standards, the project is carried out in close cooperation with a renowned university. This partnership allows us to combine advanced polymer chemistry with microbiology.
Together, we conduct rigorous research on biodegradation and precise microbiological risk assessment. As a result, our solutions are based not on assumptions, but on solid scientific data that eliminate any risk of organic contamination in the final product.
Ongoing Development: Promising Research Results
Our laboratory has developed preliminary formulations of butyl compounds modified with a 5% addition of chewing gum waste. Tests confirm that the material meets the standards required for typical sealants used in construction and industry.
Key technical parameters of modified compounds:
- Density (ISO 1183-1): 1.64 ±0.003 g/cm³
→ High repeatability and homogeneity - Penetration (20°C / 150g, ISO 2137): 47 ±1 (1/10 mm)
→ Comparable to standard construction sealants - MVR (140°C / 5 kg; ISO 1133 & ASTM D1238): 47 ±3 ml/10 min
→ Optimal viscosity and ease of application - Peel strength (180°, 300 mm/min, ISO 8510-2): 41 ±1 N/25 mm (adhesive–cohesive failure from PET)
→ Excellent adhesion, comparable to standard butyls - Static shear (20°C, FINAT FTM 8): 28 min
→ Comparable to typical sealing compounds - Thermal stability (100°C, 7 days, ASTM C772-03): No measurable migration at 100°C, remains tacky
→ High temperature resistance and minimal plasticizer leakage
These results indicate strong potential for application in products such as technical tapes and substructure sealing systems.
Conclusion and Further Development
The use of post-consumer chewing gum is not only an ecological statement but a real technological innovation. Our ongoing work focuses on:
- Optimizing biostabilization processes: Implementing new technologies (including biocides) to fully protect the material against microflora growth in high-humidity conditions.
- Increasing waste content: Maximizing recycling rates while maintaining stable technical parameters.
- Managing compositional variability: Developing testing systems for different waste fractions to mitigate inconsistencies in raw material composition.
We demonstrate that modern sealants can be durable, effective, and environmentally responsible.
Learn More
For more information about our research and the potential applications of this technology, please contact us directly. We welcome discussions on potential collaboration.