Jiva's biodegradable PCB is made from natural fibers and a halogen-free polymer with a much lower carbon footprint than traditional boards made with fiberglass composites.

A 2022 study by the University of Washington College of Engineering and Microsoft Research saw the team create an Earth-friendly mouse using a Soluboard PCB as its core. The boffins dissolved the PCB in hot water in under six minutes. It can take several hours to break down at room temperature.

In addition to dissolving the PCB fibers, the process makes it easier to retrieve the valuable metals attached to it. After it dissolves, we're left with the chips and circuit traces which we can filter out,â said UW assistant professor Vikram Iyer, who worked on the mouse project.

The video shows the Soluboard dissolving in a frying pan with boiling water. "Adopting a water-based recycling process could lead to higher yields in the recovery of valuable metals," said Jonathan Swanston, CEO and co-founder of Jiva Materials. Jiva says the board has a 60 percent smaller carbon footprint than traditional PCBs -- specifically, it can save 10.5 kg of carbon and 620 g of plastic per square meter of PCB.

While it does sound rather cool, it does not seem that the robustness of the PCB when it is not being desolved at room temperature is something that anyone wants to feature in any of the bumph.