U.K. scientists develop polymer from sugars in wood The new polymer is made using xylose, a sugar found in wood. BATH, England—Researchers at the University of Bath have developed a sustainable polymer using the second most abundant sugar in nature, xylose. The polymer can serve as a building block for polyurethane, used in mattresses and shoe soles; as a bio-derived alternative to polyethylene glycol, a chemical widely used in bio-medicine; or to polyethylene oxide, sometimes used as electrolyte in batteries, according to a statement from Bath's Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies. Like all sugars, xylose occurs in two forms that are mirror images of each other—named D and L, the researchers explained.