Engineers at the University of Glasgow have developed a new type of biodegradable circuit board that could significantly reduce electronic waste. The innovative design can be produced using materials such as paper, bioplastics, and even chocolate, and can be safely disposed of through ordinary soil composting.
The breakthrough relies on a new method of printing electronic circuits onto biodegradable surfaces using zinc, instead of the copper traditionally used in circuit boards. Tests show the new boards perform comparably to conventional ones and have been successfully used in devices including LED counters and temperature sensors.
Professor Jeff Kettle from the James Watt School of Engineering said: “One key aspect of our work is that almost any substrate material can be used in the process, ranging from paper and bioplastics for more realistic applications, to chocolate for tasty but probably not very practical demonstrations.” He added that the team is exploring ways to adapt the technique to fields such as mouldable electronics and biosensing.
Dr Jonathon Harwell, who led the research, said: “The work demonstrates a major step toward circular electronics, where devices are designed from the outset for reuse, recycling, or safe degradation.” He noted that discarded devices already generate tens of millions of tonnes of waste annually, and the research could have far-reaching impacts for consumer electronics, internet-of-things devices, and disposable sensors.
The research was published in the journal Communications Materials. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronics were discarded in 2024, highlighting the growing need for sustainable alternatives.
