If our technological evolution has one shadow, it's environmental sustainability. Every year, gigatons of deprecated electronic materials are incorrectly disposed of, leading to lost opportunities to recover rare precious metals while simultaneously risking ecological damage. To curb the rising amount of electronic waste, semiconductor and PCB expert Infineon partnered with Jiva Materials to explore the company's biodegradable, water-soluble PCB design. Soluboard - the board that can be dissolved - is here.
Instead of the traditional glass-based fibers and chemicals used in common PCB materials, Soluboard tech uses natural fibers that are naturally biodegradable. These fibers are then enveloped in a non-toxic polymer (which is to say, a spray-on plastic solution) that completely dissolves in hot water, allowing the environment to start composting the fibers that compose the PCB's structure itself. Besides the direct environmental sustainability gains from not building up Babel towers of disposed electronics, this degradable PCB also allows for the appended electronics to be later removed and recycled without the risk of secondary damage.
