Microelectronic Industry PCB boards recycing (PCB-REC)

Desired outcome

Mikroelektronika a.d. is a company producing smart electricity meters and electronic devices for energy efficiency. During production, errors occur, leading to significant amounts of e-waste in the form of PCB boards.

We aim not only to recycle our own waste but also to invest in innovative solutions that go beyond conventional e-waste recycling, such as gold or platinum extraction. Our focus is on sustainable and forward-thinking approaches that can benefit both our company and the wider industry.

Initial Problem Description

We are sure that not only out factory, but also a number of similar producers are facing the need for PCB and other e-waste recycle. Also, we are noticing that in our country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, people are more and more aware of the importance of environmental protection and are motivated to recycle.
However, at this moment there is only few companies collecting the e-waste, without any concrete solution for recycling/reuse.
If offered an interesting solution, we would be able to provide this service to other customers, and not only solve our own problem, while also this investment will contributing to the positive image of our company further and also we would like to be pioneers and motivate others too. There is plenty of market for multiple companies like that in the region.

Context

Usually PCB boards recycle in the world is going through the illegal activities such as acidic leaching. This is endangering workers and terribly affecting nature. Results of the acidic leaching are collection of few milligrams of gold or platinum usually so, even the economic results are very questionable.
Thus, we are looking for the solution beyond such approach, completely legally possible and available technology for the recycle of the e-waste. In particular, we think that gold and platinum could be even ignored, and the focus should be on copper or even eventually tin.

Connection to cross-cutting areas

Our idea for investment in recycle of the PCB boards with focus on copper extraction and reuse is a fully compatible one with circular economy principles. There is an enormous problem with e-waste accumulation surpassing 50 million tonnes yearly. Proper collection and reuse is thus belonging to the logic of the sustainable development goals of the UN, especially when taking into account an increasing trend for digitalisation of the world

Input

We are very keen on seeing the solution with some more environmentally acceptable methods for copper extraction, avoiding the acid use.
Also, we have seen few examples of the scientific literature which promotes use of extracted metals from PCBs as direct raw material for production of the nanomaterials. This is the direction in which we would like to head, avoiding purely metallurgical use, since we do not believe it will be sufficiently economical.

Expectations

If the students are able to prove that some of the more acceptable solutions for copper extractions are indeed efficient, we would like to see at least preliminary synthesis of the nanomaterials and maybe some level of characteristics. Even basic data would be sufficient such as SEM microscopy or XRD, so that we can evaluate further potential in this investments. Since the criteria in INDUSAC competition are that academic students and staff are involved, we are sure that these would be possible to some level, to be presented and discussed. We are also welcoming students to visit our premises for preliminary consultations.

Desired Team Profile

We are looking for a team of students of technology, geology, chemistry or other areas of material sciences would be able to face our challenge and we look forward to provide them with information on the composition of our products so that they can develop the ideas with their professors or other supervisors.

Additional Information

As for the market itself, currently there is almost no competitors to this type of investments and also in the wider context it is not so common that people focus of copper recycling but mostly on gold and platinum. Thus, we are sure that with competitive idea and good technological solution in the near future we are on track to resolve this important environmental issue as the investors, but also to resolve the problem of our own waste from the microelectronics production which is our primary activity.

Related Keywords

• Industrial manufacturing, Material and Transport Technologies
• Industrial Technologies
• Sustainability
• Electronics Related Market