https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/sebastian-calvo/index.htmlAbout me Sebastian Calvo is a DPhil student in the Circular Economy and Sustainability Lab within the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, supervised by Professor Lucia Corsini. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Sustainability from Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, and an MA in Design Engineering jointly awarded by Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. His graduate level work focused on bio-design, exploring novel materials and design approaches that use technology to foster more regenerative relationships between the built and natural environments.Hugoenhttps://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/sebastian-calvo/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/sebastian-calvo/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.html(1) What you would like to biomanufacture and why? I am interested in exploring the use of bio-manufacturing for creating printed circuit board (PCB) substrate materials. More specifically, at the moment I am interested in exploring microbial cellulose (MC) also referred to as bacterial cellulose (BC). E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally. Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world, with global generation reaching over 62 million tonnes annually, and projected to increase significantly in the coming decades. Less than 25% is formally recycled. Despite the high material value of electronic devices, recovery rates for critical elements remain extremely low, with only a small fraction of rare materials sourced from recycled streams. This represents not only a substantial loss of valuable resources, but also a significant environmental and social burden. The electronics lifecycle involves energy-intensive extraction and processing, often associated with hazardous working conditions and environmental contamination, while improper disposal releases toxic substances such as heavy metals and flame retardants into ecosystems and human populations. These substances include brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and other contaminants that are highly toxic and stable enough to persist and bio-accumulate in the environment over time. Furthermore, despite making up only 4-7% of total e-waste mass, PCBs hold approximately 90% of the economic value of e-waste. While valuable metals can sometimes be recovered from waste PCBs at high energy and infrastructure cost, the non-metallic fraction, typically the majority by mass, is rarely recirculated and is instead landfilled, incinerated, or occasionally downcycled into low-value applications.https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/sebastian-calvo/final-project/index.htmlMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/sebastian-calvo/final-project/index.html