October 8, 2025, 11:30 CEST
Forum at Domshof, Banking hall (Kassenhalle), Domshof 26, 28199 Bremen
Circular Electronic Materials for Advanced e-Waste Management
Electrification and digitalization of our daily life have led to an ever-increasing amount of electronic waste (e-Waste). Since 2010, the amount of electronic waste has doubled to 62 billion kg in 2022, with Europe being the largest contributor. Still, most of the electronic waste is not properly collected or recycled.
Although e-waste is highly heterogeneous, almost all electronic devices contain printed circuit boards (PCB). PCBs are responsible for approx. 3-6 % of the total mass of all e-waste, with a total worth of more than USD 60 billion in 2022. Previous attempts to recycle PCBs were only partially successful, resulting in PCBs being either landfilled or incinerated. To make matters worse, halogenated flame retardants in PCBs can release toxic substances during thermal or chemical recycling.
In this session, we discuss current approaches to address this challenge, either by biodegradable or circular materials. Based on the MAPEX research landscape, we outline a strategy for the design of fully circular printed circuit boards, alongside circular semiconductor materials and first circular organic sensors.
This is a Joint Panel by:
Bj?rn Lüssem (spokesperson)
Christof Büskens (University of Bremen), Lucio Colombi Ciacchi (University of Bremen), Katharina Koschek (Fraunhofer IFAM), Boris Marx (Faserinstitut Bremen – FIBRE), David May (University of Bremen, Faserinstitut Bremen – FIBRE), Kurosch Rezwan (University of Bremen, Matena innovate! Center), Tobias R?th (University of Bremen)
About the Idea Competition
To shape the next generation of collaborative research, the MAPEX Center for Materials and Processes invited all members to submit idea proposals and will fund up to two original and innovative themes from 2026. This panel at the MAPEX Anniversary Symposium 2025 presents one of them.
The ideas should present a clear vision demonstrating the potential to contribute to the profile building of MAPEX and the University of Bremen, addressing materials, processes and technologies. They should also contribute to the University’s fundamental guiding principle: sustainability. In the sense of high-risk funding, the proposed projects must break new ground and be distinct from ongoing or past activities of the applicants. The project’s idea is expected to pave the way for third-party funding for collaborative institutional projects, e.g. in the dimension of a DFG research training group or DFG collaborative research center.
