Types of carpet that ended up in landfill because they could not be re-used may now be able to be recycled after experts claimed a new scientific breakthrough.
Researchers at the University of York led by James Clark have developed a new kind of starch-based adhesive that is easy to remove from carpet fibres, meaning the material can be re-used, rsc.co.uk reports.
Previously, carpets could not be re-used because of the latex adhesives that were used in them that could not be removed.
The York team overcame a previous problem with starch adhesives of being unable to withstand exposure to water when it acetylated the corn starch to make it insoluble.
Such a measure could make carpet greener in future as more of it will be able to be recycled at the end of its working life.
Last month, carpet maker Shaw Industries revealed that it had reached a total of 250 million lbs of the material recycled each year, ahead of its target, the Anderson Independent Mail reported.
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