Challenging the state of the art

to make European sustainable electronics reality

DESIRE4EU adopts a holistic approach.

On one hand, we consider boards as a complete system and develop a proof of concept and guidelines for exemplary, fully circular sustainable electronics solutions, on the other hand we also want the project to contribute to European leadership, resilience, and independence.

DESIRE4EU envisions a world-first by 2030: industrially credible, compliant, bio-based, rigid boards, with an innovative and environmentally friendly recycling process for critical metals.

Thanks to this holistic approach, we propose credible solutions for a responsible electronics value chain and look after making the European sustainable electronics goal achievable in everyday life.

DESIRE4EU tackles procedures and current limitations. Each development brought by the project targets important added values.

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DESIRE4EU ambitions to create a new process, less polluting and less energy consuming, yet able to recover similar Critical Metals (CM) percentage from WEEE than current classical processes.

Current limitations and challenges of Pyro- or hydro-metallurgy for CM recycling from WEEE:

  • Only Gold and few CM are efficiently recovered
  • Polluting chemicals and high energy consumption.
  • PCB resins and other non-renewable materials are not recovered and create ultimate waste.

Aim to develop a bioleaching process to:

  • recover CM used in the new PCB at a similar scale than previously with a better yeld
  • recover bio-polymers by bio-degradation

Added values:

  • lower acid volumes
  • lower energy consumption
  • avoidance of the crushing step
  • direct separation of recovered metals during the leaching by varying the pH level.

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DESIRE4EU ambitions to create bio-based PCB assembly process compatible with established methods, to reduce the environmental footprint

Current limitations and challenges of PCB assembly:

  • Photochemical etching of Cu, Pb-free soldering of components with alloys
  • High GHG emissions and water eco-toxicity

Aim to develop

  • bio-based PCB protection products to slow down its bio-degradation in ambient conditions
  • eco-friendly assembly processes.

Added values:

  • ability to process bio-based laminates as efficiently as traditional FR4 laminates
  • lower environmental impact.

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DESIRE4EU ambitions to substitute currents PCB for ones using bio-based materials derived from agricultural by-products

Current limitations and challenges

  • Materials of petrochemical origin for the dielectric part of the PCB, such as epoxy resin
  • Strong negative environmental impact
  • Non-degradability of conventional PCB materials

Aim to develop new dielectric materials compliant with most of the criteria of IPC standards

Added values:

  • Reduction of the non-renewable resources consumption and fossil fuels dependency
  • Reduction of GHG emissions
  • Controlled biodegradability.

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DESIRE4EU ambitions to define new design rules for the new bio based PCB to maximize recycle of CM while keeping the electronic circuit functionality

Current limitations and challenges of Electronic boards design rules:

  • don’t consider the possibility of optimizing the end-of -life of electronic products regarding components reuse and CM recycling.

Aim to develop new eco-design rules able to maintain the overall performance of the electronic circuits while maximizing the circularity of the boards.

Added values:

  • New design rules and modular approach will lower boards environmental footprint
  • prepare the European PCB Industry for new regulation (FR4 possibly be banned).

Discover more:

DESIRE4EU Outcomes

DESIRE4EU Impacts

DESIRE4EU Work packages