Expanding waste to reduce waste

Polymer waste from discarded TV and computer screens can be transformed into a high value material that could be used in biomedicine, say UK scientists. 

James Clark and colleagues at the University of York expanded the structure of waste polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) from liquid crystal display (LCD) screens to form a mesoporous material with a high surface area. Because PVA is biocompatible, Clark claims the expanded PVA could be used for enzyme immobilisation, tissue scaffolds or drug delivery, all of which require high surface area substrates.  More...

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2009/08/expanding_waste.asp