Researchers in the US have developed a new type of printed circuit board with properties comparable to those of traditional models, but which can be easily recycled - along with all the electronic components that go with it.

Today, printed circuit boards account for a large proportion of computer waste, which all too often ends up in the environment, causing polluting. The way they are designed makes them very difficult to recycle.

A team of researchers from the University of Washington has succeeded in developing a new form of printed circuit board composition that can be recycled. Based on vitrimers, it offers exactly the same performance as materials currently in use. Vitrimers are polymers that become malleable on contact with heat and, once cooled, are particularly resistant to impact.

Using a dedicated solvent, it is then possible to make this substance gelatinous and thus easily extract all of the circuit board's electronic components (chips, transistors, etc) without damaging them, in order to reuse or recycle them. As for the resulting jelly, it too can be recycled to manufacture new high-quality printed circuits.

Their initial tests resulted in the recovery of 98% of the vitrimer and 100% of the glass fiber used in the manufacture of these printed circuits. This research is detailed in a paper published in Nature Sustainability.

However, the team has identified a major obstacle to the development of this technology at scale, since it would be necessary to create systems and incentives for collecting electronic waste so that it can be recycled.

According to a recent UN report, 62 million tonnes of ewaste were generated in 2022, an 82% increase on 2010. Less than a quarter of that waste was recycled.

 - AFP Relaxnews