Science! By Ryan Whitwam May. 7, 2014 5:28 pm
Electronic waste is becoming a more troubling problem with each passing year as we all hop from one device to the next, always looking toward that next phone or laptop. Most old devices are discarded in the trash to sit in landfills, but even those devices which are recycled responsibly can be a headache. The circuit boards in all our phones and computers are based on reinforced epoxy glass and solder, which are a pain to dismantle safely. Three British companies have developed a new type of adhesive that could make circuit boards 90% recyclable. Just apply water, and you’re done.
The component tech is called ReUse, which stands for Reusable, Unzippable, Sustainable Electronics. ReUse is based on a recyclable thermoplastic substrate, onto which a conductive adhesive and inks are layered. This is how easily recoverable components are applied to the circuit board. When the device is no longer needed, the board is submerged in very hot (nearly boiling) water. After a few minutes, the board comes apart and all the components can be harvested for recycling.
The high temperatures needed to disassociate the materials makes this a feasible solution for many electronic devices. Splashing water on something isn’t going to cause it to collapse into a pile of chips, though it’s not like water is the best friend of electronics in the first place. Anything that doesn’t get excessively hot could make use of ReUse , but the creators cite servers and other high-performance electronics as too toasty for these environmentally friendly boards.
So are you going to be able to buy electronics with ReUse boards? Chris Hunt, head of the Electronics Interconnection Team at NPL, which helped to develop the technology, is remaining realistic. He says it’s going to take a shift in the ideology of manufacturers to adopt more sustainable practices. Until then, they’ll continue with business as usual to keep profits on the upswing.
More...
The component tech is called ReUse, which stands for Reusable, Unzippable, Sustainable Electronics. ReUse is based on a recyclable thermoplastic substrate, onto which a conductive adhesive and inks are layered. This is how easily recoverable components are applied to the circuit board. When the device is no longer needed, the board is submerged in very hot (nearly boiling) water. After a few minutes, the board comes apart and all the components can be harvested for recycling.
The high temperatures needed to disassociate the materials makes this a feasible solution for many electronic devices. Splashing water on something isn’t going to cause it to collapse into a pile of chips, though it’s not like water is the best friend of electronics in the first place. Anything that doesn’t get excessively hot could make use of ReUse , but the creators cite servers and other high-performance electronics as too toasty for these environmentally friendly boards.
So are you going to be able to buy electronics with ReUse boards? Chris Hunt, head of the Electronics Interconnection Team at NPL, which helped to develop the technology, is remaining realistic. He says it’s going to take a shift in the ideology of manufacturers to adopt more sustainable practices. Until then, they’ll continue with business as usual to keep profits on the upswing.
More...
