Eco Factor: Recycling junked LCD screens for medicine.
Apart from containing several toxins that always make trashed LCD screens an ever increasing threat to the ecosystem, researchers believe that LCD screens carry compounds that can be recycled for their medicinal value. These researchers opine that the solution is not just for hospital patients but also for e-waste.
According to the research, LCD screen carry polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA), which can be used in medicine as an ingredient for making tissue scaffolding to help parts of the body regenerate. Researchers at The University’s department of Chemistry have found a way to recover the ingredient from displays and turn it into pills or dressings.
PVA isn’t in itself a major threat to the environment, but considering that the resource isn’t renewable too, it’s great to see scientists figuring out a way to preserve the natural resources. However, it would have been much better if the huge amounts of toxins that make a display were recycled so that they don’t end up in the landfills.
Via: Treehugger
