Instead of disposing of this biomass waste, the team processes it into a plastic-like material through an innovative process involving molding and air-drying, resulting in a small, approximately 0.5 cm thick plate with a density of 1.23 g/cm³, comparable to the density of conventional printed circuit boards (PCBs). Using direct ink writing or a standard etching process and manual soldering, the researchers were able to deposit electronic components directly onto the fungal plates.
Very cool … but in most cases, I wouldn’t want my circuit boards to be biodegradable. I’d be worried that a bit of accidental moisture or humidity exposure or something is going to leave my electronics rotting away on the inside and lead to premature failure.
Still, though, this could be very good and useful for more short-term or disposable type electronics … though the other components on the board certainly aren’t compostable, so ‘disposable electronics’ should still be something kept to an absolute minimum.
It’s true that in the article they do mention that the board needs to be optimized in terms of its water absorption. Still, this is a bioplastic, meaning it’s not like a cardboard or something that will start biodegrading on you out of nowhere.
Re “bioplastics” and similar technologies: people really underestimate what some of these types of things are capable of. There’s a pretty big spectrum between tissue paper that lasts days and thermoplastics that last centuries, but for some reason when people hear “biodegradable” anything they immediately think of the tissue paper. There’s still a long way to go in the material science (mostly in terms if economic viability) but some environmentally safe materials can be surprisingly robust.
The path to truly sustainable electronics is to reduce the disposable shit.
I would want burnable without toxic fumes over compostable. Toss it in a incinerator and collect the metals after.
You shouldn’t be getting your electronics wet, anyway. Also, cardboard boxes last longer than my electronics in most cases.
This would work pretty good in most cases.
It’s to be avoided, sure. But sometimes accidents happen. Or sometimes it’s just really humid.