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Scientists Turn Used LCDs Into Medicine

Posted by timothy on from the waste-not-want-not dept.

schliz writes "Scientists from the University of York have come up with a new recycling technique that extracts PVA from used LCD panels to create a 'a bioactive sponge.' The technique could allow recovered PVA to be used in pills, wound dressings and tissue scaffolds that aid human tissue regeneration. It could also keep waste LCD screens from incineration or landfill altogether."

5 of 30 comments (clear)

  1. So, which do you want? by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 5, Funny

    The red pill, the blue pill...or the green pill?

    1. Re:So, which do you want? by Aphoxema · · Score: 4, Funny

      Does that mean I can either keep living the dream, see how far the rabbit whole goes, or take the placebo?

      --
      "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
  2. What? by EkriirkE · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So they are just salvaging the non-toxic readily bio-degradable glue from the panels?
    Then what happens to the rest of the toxic non bio-degradable materials they claim will be prevented from entering the landfills/incinerators?

    --
    from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
    1. Re:What? by Red+Flayer · · Score: 4, Informative
      I know it's anathema to some, but please RTFA. There's a qualifier in TFA that submitter left out (emphasis mine):

      Coupled with current recycling methods, the technique could entirely prevent old LCD TVs, laptops and computer monitors from being incinerated or added to landfills.

      For some snark: That's mostly because current recycling methods are largely composed of shipping the parts to third-world countries where they burn them (NOT in an incinerator) to extract heavy metals.

      Seriously, though, if this process does truly result in a significant market for recycling process outputs, it could help make recycling old monitors economically sound. I suspect, however, that it will still be cheaper to make the PVA byproduct from scratch, and ship monitors to developing nations for scrapping.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  3. Re:Response times by Jerry+Coffin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Undoubtedly meant to be funny, but the serious answer is no. What they're using is PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol). An LCD panel has a polarizer on the front and back, and a layer of PVA is what actually does the polarizing. The polarizers are pretty much the same regardless of the response time... :-)

    --
    The universe is a figment of its own imagination.