Fujitsu: Building a biodegradable laptop

When someone mentions green tech, the first thing that comes to mind is probably energy-efficient devices. While solar-powered desktops are certainly cool as all get out, energy use isn't the only environmental problem that the tech industry needs to face. The waste created by discarded electronics in the U.S. alone results in hundreds of thousands of tons of post-consumer waste, much of it toxic and non-biodegradable. What's worse, it's estimated that some 50-80 percent of the eWaste that is supposedly "recycled" is actually shipped overseas, where it contaminates the environment and creates health risks for those who work and live nearby.

Given that the tech industry probably isn't going to stop churning out gadgets anytime soon, one possible solution to the problem is the development of biodegradable devices. Fujitsu showed off one such device at CES this year: a laptop whose casing is built using corn. Apparently "the main component is polylactic acid, also known as PLA, a resin that comes from the fermentation of the raw biomass from plants." While an amount of traditional plastic still needs to be mixed in with the PLA in order to provide an adequate level of durability, the PLA and plastic can be separated at the end of the product's lifetime, at which point the PLA can either degrade naturally or be burned without emitting any harmful by-products. Sure, it's not perfect but it's definitely a start to addressing one of our industry's dirtiest secrets.

For more on Fujitsu's biodegradable laptop:
- see this post from Inhabitat 
- and this AP article on green tech at CES