Laboratories and their criminal justice systems are confronted with challenges for implementing new technologies, practices, and policies even when there appears to be demonstrative benefits to operational performance. Impacting decisions are the often higher costs associated with, for example, new technologies, limited current budgets, and making hard decisions on what to sacrifice to take on the seemingly better approach. A prospective cost-benefit analysis (CBA) could help an agency better formulate its strategies and plans and more importantly delineate how a relatively small increase to take on, for example, a new technology can have large impact on the system (e.g., the agency, other agencies, victims and families, and taxpayers). To demonstrate the process and potential value a CBA was performed on the use of an alternate and more expensive swab with reported better DNA yield and being certified human DNA free (i.e., nylon 4N6FLOQSwabs (R)), versus the traditional less costly swab (i.e., cotton swab). Assumptions are described, potential underestimates and overestimates noted, different values applied (for low and modest to high), and potential benefits (monetary and qualitative) presented. The overall outcome is that the cost of using the more expensive technology pales compared with the potential tangible and intangible benefits. This approach could be a guide for laboratories (and associated criminal justice systems) worldwide to support increased funding, although the costs and benefits may vary locally and for different technologies, practices, and policies. With well-developed CBAs, goals of providing the best services to support the criminal justice system and society can be attained.

The valorization of cellulose rich textile waste is promoted by the development of a novel solid-state NMR method for the quantification of cellulose and polyester in textile blends. We applied C-13 CP-MAS NMR as a tool for the quantification and structural characterization of cellulose in cotton polyester blends. Gaussian functions were used to integrate the spectra obtained from a set of calibration standards in order to calculate a sigmoidal calibration curve. Acid hydrolysis was chosen as a reference method. The results demonstrated that solid-state NMR enables a reliable determination of cellulose and polyester in both preconsumer and postconsumer waste textiles and suggests a possible extension of the concept to blends of man-made cellulose fibers (MMCFs) and polyester.