CircEl-Paper — Circular Paper-Based Printed Circuit Boards
CircEl-Paper applies circular economy principles to printed circuit boards by replacing conventional glass-fibre laminates with paper. The consortium demonstrated that a four-layer paper PCB can be manufactured and designed for a range of applications, and validated it in three use cases: a glucose monitoring medical sensor, a time–temperature indicator for temperature-sensitive logistics, and a paper-based sound card for consumer gadgets. Both the glucose sensors and the time–temperature indicators are typically disposable products, which makes a recyclable paper substrate directly relevant to their end of life.
Caratteristiche principali
- Four-layer printed circuit board built on paper instead of glass-fibre laminate
- Three validated use cases: glucose monitoring, time–temperature indicator, sound card
- Aimed at disposable electronics where recyclability matters most
- Public deliverables and use-case videos released by the consortium
Come funziona
Paper replaces FR-4 as the PCB substrate. Multilayer build-up reaches four conductive layers with printed and assembled components, keeping the board compatible with existing electronics design practice while allowing fibre recovery at end of life.
Impatto sulla sostenibilità
Addresses the recyclability gap in disposable and short-life electronics — medical single-use sensors, logistics indicators and consumer gadgets — where conventional PCBs are effectively unrecoverable. Part of the EU Green Electronics Working Group alongside SUINK, ECOTRON and HyPELignum.
Ente capofila: CircEl-Paper consortium (Fraunhofer ISC, Fedrigoni, INP-Grenoble, Joanneum Research, MMAB, QSAR Lab, RISE, VFP Ink Technologies)