The production of printed circuit boards, which form the basis of virtually all electronics, is one of the most environmentally demanding parts of the electronics industry. It is associated with high consumption of chemicals, energy and water, and recycling these components after the end of the product's life is also problematic. In the Czech Republic alone, more than 150 thousand tons of electronic waste were collected in 2025, with approximately six percent of them being printed circuit boards.
This is precisely the problem that a joint project of researchers from the Department of Electrical Technology, FEE CTU and the Institute of Polymers, VŠCHT Prague, focused on, which was supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic in 2024–2026 as part of the Environment for Life program and the National Recovery Plan.
“Our goal was to find a technology that would significantly reduce the use of toxic chemicals and at the same time enable the use of plastic waste as a valuable raw material. After two years of development, we managed to create a functional production process and verify its ecological benefits,” says Dr. Petr Veselý, head of the research team at the Czech Technical University of Technology.
Waste from gramophone records as the basis for electronics
The research team at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague used waste plastic based on PVC generated during the production of gramophone records. The material was provided by the Czech company GZ Media, which is the largest producer of vinyl records in the world.
“The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used for the production of gramophone records is unplasticized and, due to its high chlorine content, is naturally self-extinguishing. This allowed us to create a material that meets safety requirements without the need to add other substances that are often environmentally problematic,” explains Dr. Alena Kadeřábková from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague.
The researchers prepared a filament for 3D printing from the waste material. The tests confirmed that the requirements of the international UL-94 standard for self-extinguishing were met while maintaining mechanical properties comparable to commonly used materials for 3D printing. The result is protected by a utility model.
Electronics without toxic substances and with lower energy consumption
The FEE CTU team followed up on the recycled substrate by developing a production process for creating electronic circuits. The technology uses 3D printing and special conductive inks instead of traditional chemical processes.
“An advantage of our process is also the complete elimination of soldering or conductive bonding of components, which further reduces the energy intensity of production,” adds Dr. Petr Veselý.
3D printing of an electrically insulating substrate also allows for greater flexibility in the design of electronic circuits and the integration of components directly into the material structure. The researchers also pilot-tested the long-term reliability of connections and also solved the interconnection of multiple layers for more complex electronic circuits.
60 percent fewer emissions, 90 percent lower toxicity
The project also included a detailed assessment of environmental impacts using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) methodology.
“It is clear that we will not install electronics made from waste plastic in an aircraft or other equipment where reliability is a critical factor. On the other hand, most consumer electronics do not have such extreme requirements. This is where the potential for reducing environmental impacts can be very significant,” says Dr. Kateřina Bartošová from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University, who participated in the assessment.
The analysis showed that the new technology can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 60 percent compared to traditional production. In the category of toxicity to humans, the decrease reaches up to 90 percent. Another advantage is the possibility of recycling the used plastic after the end of the device's service life.
The solution also has its limitations. 3D printing technology does not yet allow the production of very fine structures needed for state-of-the-art chips, and the researchers have not yet found a suitable alternative to copper-based silver conductive inks that would reduce the ecological footprint even further. The research team therefore plans to continue the topic after the end of the project and focus on further technological and material improvements that would enable wider industrial use of sustainable electronics.