LATEST NEWS

Infineon uses recyclable PCBs from Jiva Materials to minimize electronic waste and carbon footprint of demo and evaluation boards

Munich, Germany – 28 July, 2023 – With the growing amount of electronic waste generated by consumers, industry and other sectors, it is critical to address this specific environmental issue. Reducing the carbon footprint and promoting sustainability are therefore key to achieving climate goals and improving environmental protection. This is why Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) is taking another important step towards a greener future with the introduction of Soluboard®, a recyclable and biodegradable printed circuit board (PCB) substrate based on natural fibers and a halogen-free polymer. The product was developed by UK start-up Jiva Materials and helps to reduce the carbon footprint of the electronics industry.

Soluboard’s plant-based PCB material is made from natural fibers, which have a much lower carbon footprint than the traditional glass-based fibers. The organic structure is enclosed in a non-toxic polymer that dissolves when immersed in hot water, leaving only compostable organic material. This not only eliminates PCB waste, but also allows the electronic components soldered to the board to be recovered and recycled. By using Soluboard for its demo and evaluation boards, Infineon is making another important contribution to the testing of sustainable designs in the electronics industry.

“For the first time, a recyclable, biodegradable PCB material is being used in the design of electronics for consumer and industrial applications – a milestone towards a greener future,” said Andreas Kopp, Head of Product Management Discretes at Infineon’s Green Industrial Power Division. “We are also actively researching the reusability of discrete power devices at the end of their service life, which would be an additional significant step towards promoting a circular economy in the electronics industry.”

“Adopting a water-based recycling process could lead to higher yields in the recovery of valuable metals,” said Jonathan Swanston, CEO and co-founder of Jiva Materials. “In addition, replacing FR-4 PCB materials with Soluboard would result in a 60 percent reduction in carbon emissions – more specifically, 10.5 kg of carbon and 620 g of plastic can be saved per square meter of PCB.”

Currently, Infineon is using the biodegradable material to reduce the carbon footprint of demo and evaluation boards – but is also exploring the possibility of using the material for all boards to make the electronics industry more sustainable. In doing so, Infineon is following the European Commission’s “Green Deal” agenda, which aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 by making circularity the mainstream in our lives and accelerating the greening of the EU economy. In addition, the company is committed to the responsible collection and recycling of electronic products manufactured by Infineon in accordance with the EU Directive on Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

Infineon has produced three different demo boards using Soluboard technology and plans to expand its offering over the next few years. More than 500 units are already in use to showcase the company’s power discretes portfolio, including one board that features components specifically for refrigerator applications. Based on the results of ongoing stress tests, the company plans to provide guidance on the reuse and recycling of power semiconductors removed from Soluboards, which could significantly extend the lifetime of the electronic components.

The research will also provide Infineon with a fundamental understanding of the design and reliability challenges customers face with the new material in their core applications. In particular, customers will benefit from the new knowledge as it will contribute to the development of sustainable designs.


Credit:Infineon
Daria - New-Tech Magazine

Recent Posts

Bitsight to Acquire Cyber Threat Intelligence Leader Cybersixgill to Help Enterprises to Preempt Cyber Attacks

Plans to Deliver Advanced Threat Intelligence within its Attack Surface and Third-Party Risk Solutions  Bitsight,…

5 hours ago

Molex Announces Agreement to Acquire AirBorn, Expanding its Position in the Aerospace and Defense Market

AirBorn provides mission-critical components and services to leading companies in the aerospace and defense, commercial…

5 hours ago

NVIDIA’s Israel-1 Ranks No. 34 in the TOP500 List of the World’s Most Powerful Supercomputers

The fastest AI supercomputer in the country, accelerated by the Israel-developed NVIDIA Spectrum-X Networking platform,…

5 hours ago

Melexis and Geely Illuminate the Future of Automotive Lighting Design

 Melexis is pleased to announce that the renowned Geely Automotive Group has chosen to use…

5 hours ago

Enhanced performance: Panasonic Industry releases advanced OS-CON high-voltage capacitor line extension

New SXV, SXE, and SVPG series deliver superior durability, low ESR, high ripple current, and…

5 hours ago

Mouser Explores the Open-Source Future with RISC-V Technology Resource Centre

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry’s leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor with the widest selection…

5 hours ago