Circular Microcomputers: Turning Smartphone Waste into Computing Solutions

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Behind Citronics — a fusion of circularity and electronics—stands Jean-Brieuc (J-B) Feron, a 36-year-old Belgian electronics engineer on a bold mission. After nearly a decade at Brussels-based aerospace manufacturer Sabca, the combined crises of Covid-19, supply chain disruptions, and climate change in 2020 marked a turning point for him. Convinced that the high-tech industry was heading down the wrong path, J-B embraced low-tech principles: durability, sufficiency, and resilience. Just a year later, Citronics was born.

After three years of dedicated work, Feron unveiled the first “baby” of his start-up at the facilities of Village N°1 Entreprises, a social enterprise that employs 800 people with disabilities or from marginalised backgrounds.

Today, we’re launching the world’s first production line and commercialisation of circular microcomputers.

announced the Belgian entrepreneur.

What Are Circular Microcomputers?

By microcomputers, J-B refers to embedded computers—vital yet often invisible devices found in applications such as surveillance cameras, heating systems, agricultural equipment, and industrial machinery.

Where Citronics disrupts the market is through circularity. Instead of importing new electronic components from Asia, the start-up salvages end-of-life smartphones, extracting their motherboards—the core printed circuit boards that house processors, connectors, and memory. These components are meticulously tested, reprogrammed, and integrated into compact cases tailored to client needs.

Our circular microcomputers boast advanced connectivity options, including 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet. And the best part? They’re cheaper than traditional, newly manufactured equivalents with similar performance levels.

explains J-B.

Citronics Circular Microcomputers
Citronics Circular Microcomputers

A Partnership with Social Impact

To handle the extraction and reprogramming of components, Citronics partnered with Village N°1 Entreprises. At this facility, a four-person production line staffed currently processes over 200 smartphone motherboards daily. All smartphones are sourced from the Dutch sustainable phone manufacturer Fairphone.

Ambitious Goals for 2025

Looking ahead, Citronics has set ambitious targets for 2025:

  • Triple its user base of engineers and clients developing solutions using circular microcomputers.
  • Increase deployment tenfold across various industries.
  • Launch a first fundraising round to support this growth.

The start-up is already collaborating with key partners, including:

  • UCLouvain: Developing image recognition clusters.
  • Destore: Optimising residential heating with smart devices.
  • Karno: Monitoring urban heating networks remotely.
  • Deutsche Telekom: Prototyping circular Internet routers.

Tackling an Enormous Challenge

With 200 million smartphones discarded or exported from Europe annually, Citronics is addressing a massive environmental and technological challenge.

We aim to become a European leader in environmental and social impact, focusing on electronic waste recycling. The raw material is already there—it’s up to us to give it a second life.

concludes J-B

Jean-Brieuc (J-B) Feron
Jean-Brieuc (J-B) Feron