A new approach to designing easily recyclable printed circuit boards

Abstract

Due to the ever-increasing amount of electronic waste (e-waste) worldwide, the problem of the effective disposal of printed circuit board waste (WPCB), which are environmentally hazardous, difficult to recycle and economically valuable products, has become a major environmental challenge. Conventional WPCB recycling techniques have low efficiency and require tough processing, such as heat treatment and high pressure. This paper presents a new composite material for the manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCB) that can be easily recycled into their original components and reused. In addition, the most valuable PCB components (electronic components containing precious metals) can be easily separated from the printed circuit board and reused. This study demonstrates the benefit of using biodegradable polymers as binders for PCBs in terms of environmentally friendly and efficient recycling.

Implementation of microcontroller board on a sustainable and degradable PLA/flax composite substrate: a case study

“…The studied material completely replaces this composite. These figures indeed point to a change in the impact and sustainability of e-waste, and the current results (albeit with only two layers of PCBs) represent an improvement over the ∼70% presented by (Khrustalev et al 2022). According to the current Gerber copper area analysis, it is estimated that the vol% and wt% values (while maintaining PCB thickness) will decrease with increasing the number of copper layers (e.g.…”

“…From this aspect, one possible point of easing the load on the environment and resources is to find alternative technologies and materials in electronics, such as focusing on packaging materials. In recent studies (Khrustalev et al) [6], it was found that about 70 wt% of the waste printed circuit board (PCB) generated is glass fibre reinforced epoxy composites, which are difficult to process and harmful to the environment if left in e-waste piles. Metals can be recovered from the composites by hydrometallurgical, mechanical, or pyromechanical treatment-also problematic regarding environmental impact (Ryan et al) [7].…”

A Green Conformable Thermoformed Printed Circuit Board Sourced from Renewable Materials

“…Large-scale produced biopolymers such as polycaprolactone, poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG), sodium alginate, cellulose acetate, or poly­(lactic acid) (PLA) have also been used as substrates for degradable or transient electronics. − In particular, thermoplastic polymers, such as PLA, are desirable for PCBs manufacturing because they are thermoformable and suitable for buildup by subsequent lamination of layers, a technique used in the development of conventional printed circuit boards, but can also be processed with additive manufacturing techniques for more advanced and niche applications. − Nevertheless, so far such biopolymer substrates were fabricated mostly via multistep, not scalable solvent-based procedures, such as spin coating or chemical etching when integrated with electrical components. ,,, In particular, PLA substrates were often processed through toxic solvents such as chloroform. , On the other hand, PEG or sodium alginate polymers are water-soluble and thus useful for transient applications, while they are not suitable for devices needing long-term ambient stability.…”

“… 46 , 51 , 55 , 56 In particular, PLA substrates were often processed through toxic solvents such as chloroform. 57 , 58 On the other hand, PEG or sodium alginate polymers are water-soluble and thus useful for transient applications, while they are not suitable for devices needing long-term ambient stability.…”