Biodegradable PCBs get funding boost

Technology News | January 22, 2024

By Peter Clarke

Startup Jiva Materials Ltd. and the University of Portsmouth have been awarded a Knowledge Transfer Partnership by Innovate UK to develop Soluboard, a biodegradable printed circuit board (PCB) laminate.

Jiva was co-founded in 2017 by Jonathan Sawston who serves as CEO. The value of the KTP award and the duration were not disclosed but a typical KTP project delivers a package of support worth about £80,000 to £100,000 per year, according to the Innovate UK the UK government’s technology support agency.

Soluboard is a recyclable rigid PCB laminate based on natural fibres that can be dissolved using hot water within a controlled environment. It is intended to provide a sustainable alternative to glass fibre epoxy laminate. At the end of its life conventional PCBs are often either consigned to landfill or incinerated and contain long-lasting pollutants.

Jiva claims Soluboard can be provided as copper-clad double-sided PCBs with plated through hole (PTH) technology. It is compatible with industry standard PCB fabrication processes and has electrical properties comparable to market-incumbent laminates.

Soluboard is lighter than conventional PCB materials, providing both a commercial and carbon-footprint benefit and its solubility facilitates the recovery of precious materials that currently go to waste, the company claims.

Finding fibres

Under the KTP Jiva will work with Professor Hom Dhakal and his team from the School of Mechanical and Design Engineering at the University of Portsmouth who will test and characterise the properties of natural fibres, such as jute, flax and hemp, for their use as potential laminate materials. The KTP will help speed the development and commercialisation of new advanced versions of Soluboard.

Electronics is part of global problem with consumption and waste, Jiva asserts. On average, each person in the world generates 7.5kg of electronic waste every year. PCBs are believed to account for 8 percent of all e-waste.

In July 2023 Jiva completed an investment round worth £1 million led by Katapult VC and the Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 and supported by Sorbon Investments, Armstrong Capital Management and Moonstone. It also reached an agreement with Infineon for the use of Soluboard for power semiconductor demonstration boards.