BME Researchers Develop Compostable Electronic Substrate
BME Researchers Develop Compostable Electronic Substrate
It will be far more environmentally friendly—and perhaps even cheaper—than today’s plastic components. If the market embraces it, our household appliances could be made using such materials within a few years.
“There aren’t many pioneering technologies where a Hungarian research group ranks among the top two globally, but biodegradable electronics is one of them. Only one Scottish startup is at the same stage as us, but while they make their circuit substrates water-soluble, we make ours compostable,” says Attila Géczy, head of the Sustainable Electronics research group, as he gives a tour of the laboratory at BME’s Department of Electronics Technology.
The team’s achievements are recognized internationally: they have two parallel development projects running under the EU’s Horizon Pathfinder (Desire4EU) and M-ERA (Beatrice) schemes, and—after just the first year—the European Union has recognized five distinct innovations from the former project.
The significance of this is highlighted by the fact that BME has a total of 21 such recognized innovations across EU projects listed on the European Innovation Council’s Innovation Radar platform.
It is easy to see why developing biodegradable electronic substrates and materials is a good idea. We buy—and subsequently discard—so many devices containing printed circuit boards that we are practically drowning in electronic waste. Moreover, these components—made largely of plastic—contain hazardous substances. There are currently few established processes or technologies for recycling such waste, so incineration remains the only option.
However, innovations by researchers from the University of Technology and a company in Győr make it possible to manufacture products where a very large proportion is reusable or biodegradable—up to 90 percent for a simple circuit, and 70–90 percent for more complex parts like control panels. “During industrial composting, they break down into organic debris; from this, the metal components and parts simply need to be sorted out,” explains Balázs Illés, Head of the Department of Electronics Technology.
What kind of materials behave this way when treated correctly, yet are suitable for integration into a wide variety of machines? On one hand, there are biodegradable plastics, though these alone would not suffice. A flame retardant is also required—such as polylactic acid (PLA), derived from corn or other plant sources and already used in the automotive and furniture industries as well as in packaging technology.
For structural reinforcement, the solution turned out to be linen fabric. One might reasonably wonder whether it is possible to produce items from these materials that are just as durable as those made from conventional plastics. Well, it is likely not possible, but a key element of the concept is the very realization that it isn’t even necessary. The new technology is intended for mass-market, rapidly obsolescent consumer electronics; after all, no one expects mid-range household appliances to remain in use for decades. “Naturally, this won’t be installed in nuclear power plant control systems or medical electronics—or even in BMWs, at least initially. We anticipate introducing the material in products with a typical lifespan of 5 to 10 years,” notes Attila Géczy.
The concept is so viable that there is already interest in the results achieved following more than 15 years of basic research. The Italian company Arduino has become a project partner (the development consortium also includes, among others, Meshining Kft. from Győr and the University of Grenoble), but other companies—and not just from Europe—also see potential in the innovation.
A particularly attractive feature is that manufacturing does not require new production lines, and the process can be both cheaper and more environmentally friendly than current methods at certain stages. “The fact that costs are comparable to current circuit board manufacturing expenses gives us a major advantage over competitors working on similar innovations,” states Balázs Illés. The development has recently reached a higher level of technological readiness; preparations are currently underway to register several patents, and the formulation of a market launch strategy is on the agenda.
