Técnicas Reunidas is participating in a new European research project from the Horizon Europe program on new flexible and sustainable electronic components.
Under the Horizon Europe program, the European Commission has approved the execution of a new research project, ECOTRON - How to Minimize the Environmental Footprint of Printed Electronics, focused on the development of new technologies for organic and flexible printed electronic substrates.
The Horizon Europe program of the European Commission aims to boost research, development, and innovation projects led by companies or research centers to provide technological responses to the major current European challenges.
The project, named ECOTRON, is led by the Dutch technology center TNO and involves Técnicas Reunidas, as well as other significant European companies such as Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Polar, Signify, and Beckton Dickinson, along with prestigious R&D centers like ITENE, VTT, CEA, and the Polytechnic University of Milan.
The project seeks to increase the environmental sustainability of current electronic devices through new materials and manufacturing and recycling processes for flexible organic substrates, aligning with the goals of the Circular Economy and the Safe and Sustainable by Design concept, driven by European policies.
In recent years, the need for continuous data collection, real-time information, and greater connectivity has resulted in an exponential increase in electronic functionalities integrated into almost all devices used in our daily lives. These functionalities mainly involve what are known as printed circuit boards (PCBs), which provide both mechanical support and electrical connectivity between various components through an electronic circuit. The most commonly used PCBs consist of non-recyclable rigid epoxy fiber substrates (FR4). The circuit is manufactured through the chemical etching of a superimposed copper layer, to which electronic components, e.g., chips, microsensors, are added via a high-temperature soldering process. Despite the widespread use of electronic devices, the dismantling and recycling of PCBs are still very limited practices, often restricted to the recovery of some metals. Conversely, the lifespan of electronic devices continues to decrease, leading to significant environmental impact due to poor management and accumulation of generated waste. To mitigate this issue, the development of flexible organic printed electronics (Flexible organic printed electronics) emerges as one of the most favorable alternatives to PCBs for achieving sustainable electronics through low-energy, chemical-free additive manufacturing processes using organic and recyclable materials.
The objective of the ECOTRON project is to holistically advance the development of these new substrates, including not only the advancement and improvement of the materials they comprise but also the integration of circular processes for their manufacture and recycling and the study of an ecodesign that facilitates them. With its final validation as components in common electronic devices, medical devices, wearables, and smart packaging, ECOTRON will contribute to the goal of moving towards consumer electronics with innovative functionalities and, at the same time, more sustainability.
The project is fully integrated into circular economy strategies, as its development will allow the utilization of all components of devices at the end of their life cycle through an ecodesign aimed at their recovery and more efficient recycling processes, thus reducing the use of natural resources, pollution, and waste, as well as CO2 emissions. Ultimately, it will contribute to the fight against climate change, through the reduction of emissions and carbon footprint, driven by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Green Deal.
Técnicas Reunidas will play a prominent role as a developer of new sustainable methodologies for the extraction of critical metals, recycling of plastics, and in the integration of processes for the design of a future circular manufacturing plant, as well as an industrial partner for the future provision to society of the advancements generated in the project.
The project will have a budget of 5 million euros, fully funded by the European Commission, for a total duration of 4 years.
Digital Marketing. This project has been developed by Grupo Enfoca: Inbound Marketing Alicante