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Researchers have created a rubber-like substance from urea and fatty acids found in urine, which has self-healing qualities and minimal environmental impact. The process is labor-intensive, but the resulting product has potential for use in various industries.
Not only is it possible to make gum out of urine, it’s already been done. Researchers have developed a new rubber-like substance from a complex combination of fatty acids and urea, a key component of processed urine. The rest of the ingredients usually found in urine, fortunately, are not used, although the finished product leaves a strong urine odor after handling.
The process required to make gum from urine is still very labor intensive as of this writing, but the researchers were able to produce several kilograms at a time in test batches. The resulting urine gum has a distinctive dark amber color and a soft consistency somewhere between Silly Putty and rubber cement.
One of the advantages of rubber made from urine is the ecological greening effect. Natural rubber products require significant resources to produce, and synthetic rubber products can emit harmful gases over time. If a tire or adhesive company could make rubber from urine and fatty acids, the impact on the natural world would be minimal.
Urine rubber may look nasty, but it has amazing self-healing qualities that would make it an ideal material for many future products. A toy truck made from this material, for example, would eventually recover its original shape and springiness even if one part were completely torn in half. A car tire made from urine rubber would eventually reseal after suffering a puncture or even a cut. Cutting boards made with this rubber would eventually heal from the damage caused by the blades.
The reason gum made from a component of urine works so well is the nature of the chemical bonds between the urea and the fatty acids. When a normal rubber band snaps, the ends cannot re-form the strong covalent chemical bonds necessary for self-healing.
When the researchers set out to make the gum out of urine, however, they found that the broken ends still contained millions of tiny “hands” that wanted to re-form the strong bonds with other “hands.” Once these two ends were pushed back together and given some time to heal, the new bond was as strong as if the rubber had never snapped.
While research into urine rubber is still in its early stages, it is hoped that the material will be mass-produced and used in a range of industries that would capitalize on the advantage of self-healing adhesives and rubber products.
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