Discarded LCD television screens could be recycled to help regenerate parts of the body, according to research by the University of York.

Chemical compound polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA), which is a key element of television sets with liquid crystal displays, can be transformed into a substance suitable for use in tissue scaffolds. It can also be used in pills and dressings, which are designed to target parts of the body.

PVA does not provoke a response from the human immune system, making it suitable to be used in biomedicine.

Director of the University’s York Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence Professor James Clark is one of the authors of the research. He said: “With 2.5 billion crystal displays already reaching the end of their life and LCD televisions proving hugely popular with consumers, that is a huge amount of potential waste to manage.

“It is important that we find ways of recycling as many elements of LCDs as possible so we don’t simply have to resort to burying and burning them.”

Researchers have developed a technique of heating the recovered material in water in a microwave, which is then washed in ethanol to create expanded PVA.

The development has been funded by financial investors the Technology Strategy Board examining the problems posed by LCD waste.

The University of York was chosen by the Government to be a part of a consortium to examine ways of recycling liquid displays.