Biodegradable microchips could help reduce electronic waste

A new research project is setting out to find a solution to the growing problem of electronic waste by creating the world's first controlled degradable integrated circuits. Researchers from the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering have won a £1.5m grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for the project. Their work could help address the growing problem of toxic waste created during the manufacture and disposal of common electronic items like computers, mobile phones and fitness trackers. In 2019 alone, consumers threw away more than 53 million tonnes of electronic waste, much of which contain hazardous waste in components like batteries and circuit boards. It is estimated that less than 20% of this is properly recycled and the scale of the problem is growing each year. The Glasgow team will work with a range of industrial and governmental partners to develop high-performance electronic materials which can be safely disposed of at the end of their useful lives. This includes designing electronics that are more easily recycled into new forms or by using components that naturally degrade altogether to form benign by-products.