Biodegradable PCBs Help Tackle E-Waste Problem

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E-waste is a growing problem for the world. According to WEF, each year, over 50 million tonnes of e-waste is produced globally. As more of the global population gains access to electronic devices, it is a problem that will only continue to increase. One part of the issue is how hard it can be to dispose of electronics when their useable life is over. The current FR4 material that we use for printed circuit boards is manufacture from epoxy resin and fibreglass and cannot be recycled. The main way that e-waste can be processed involves cutting the boards to smaller pieces and incinerating them to extract any precious metals, such as gold and platinum. It is a very inefficient way of recovering a small part of the metals, and it uses a lot of energy.

That recycling process is bad enough in the developed world with all of our safety laws and protective equipment, but much of the recycling is done in the developing world where there is very little regulation or protection. Even though exporting e-waste is banned, tons of old equipment are shipped to places like China and India from the EU. There, it is then burned in open containers to extract the precious metals. The people who perform this extraction are often society’s poorest, and often with no safety equipment. It leads to severe health problems among the population, and poisons the areas where the task is carried out.

The situation will continue as long as FR4 is used. However, one company has developed an alternative to FR4 that is fully biodegradable. Hampshire-based Jive Materials’ Soluboard is manufactured using natural fibres combined with other biodegradable ingredients. When it is immersed in warm water, the layers of composite material delaminate and the natural fibres that remain can be composted. The water solution can be disposed of using domestic waste water systems and components can be retrieved. The company claims that 90% of components can be reclaimed or recycled. Jive Materials estimates that the carbon footprint of one square metre of Soluboard PCB is around 7.1kg, while the carbon footprint of one square metre of standard FR-4 PCB is around 17.7kg. Soluboard also saves on 620g per square metre of plastic compared to FR-4.

One of the first big customers for Jive Materials is Infineon. The two companies have recently signed a contract for Jive Materials to supply the boards for Infineon’s range of demo and evaluation kits. As well as those PCBs, Infineon will also explore if it is possible to use the material for the remainder of the company’s products. Infineon has currently produced three different demo boards using Soluboard technology and will expand that offering over the next few years. Stress tests will provide future guidance on the reuse and recycling of power semiconductors removed from Soluboards, but it could significantly extend the lifetime of the components.

https://www.jivamaterials.com/about/.