News Replace PCBs with vitrimer PCBs to save millions of tons in eWaste, say UW researchers

[Admin]

vPCBs, which are PCBs built with a sustainable and recyclable vitrimer polymer, debut. This contrasts with traditional PCBs which are 'basically impossible to recycle.'

Replace PCBs with vitrimer PCBs to save millions of tons in eWaste, say UW researchers : Read more

 

[artk2219]

vPCBs, which are PCBs built with a sustainable and recyclable vitrimer polymer, debut. This contrasts with traditional PCBs which are 'basically impossible to recycle.'

Replace PCBs with vitrimer PCBs to save millions of tons in eWaste, say UW researchers : Read more

Some PCB's go through a water wash before going into a product, i'd love to know how they would handle being water soluble in that instance. This is still a welcome change, but there are always some potential problem areas with most new processes and materials.

 

[Eximo]

Can't recycle them into new PCBs all that reliably, but I have seen the results of metal reclamation from PCBs. You end up with a glass fiber mulch that you could press into all kinds of rigid shapes. Why not used PCB lawn chairs?

 

[DotNetMaster777]

Nice !

 

[ThomasKinsley]

I remember one of my first motherboards included a warning that it had toxic materials and couldn't be thrown out. V-pcbs would be a welcomed addition to computing.

 

[I]

Meh, just because researchers "can" recycle them, doesn't necessarily mean that society "will" recycle them.

There's already plenty of materials that seem like they'd be easier to recycle, yet aren't.

Water dissolving PCBs though, depends on the specifics. Some of us live in high humidity areas and they are bound to be hygroscopic enough to swell and ruin the circuits.

Plus, as someone who recycles things for repair and reuse, it is not unusual for me to wash PCBs in water, and during manufacture, many are exposed to water to rinse off the water soluble flux to begin with.

At a minimum they would need a very durable and heat resistant waterproof coating that is dissolved off with a solvent.

Why not used PCB lawn chairs?

Yes, downcycling might make sense but there is still the question of whether it is cheaper to extract the fibers vs buying new. Fiberglass isn't expensive.

 

[Eximo]

Cheaper would be the problem, but that is what faces almost all recycling and why most plastics don't get recycled. Either needs to be subsidized or normalized. Might also make a decent filler for concrete.