Environmental Impact of the Ubiquitous Microchip

TimWeigel writes "The Japan Times is reporting the results of a study by the United Nations University on the environmental impact of michrochip production. We've already seen the impact of disposal practices, but is the manufacturing more environmentally friendly? Turns out it ain't necessarily so - according to the study, producing and using a 32MB DRAM chip weighing 2 grams requires 32 kg of water, 1.6 kg of fossil fuels, 700 g of elemental gases, and 72 g of other chemicals, many of which are hazardous. I'm no environmentalist, but this looks like it might add up to more bad news when you consider that these things are cranked out by the millions each year." Update: 01/26 16:31 GMT by J : Yep, it's a dupe.

Comments

Taco?

[The AtomicPunk]

Do you get paid for this job? Is it performance based? :)

sand and microchips

[56ker]

Microchips are made from silicon. That silicon has to come from sand (AFAIK) which is also used to make glass. Wouldn't removing the tonnes and tonnes of sand that's needed by industry also cause ecological damage - or is it removed some other way? (starts to imagine all the ruined beaches just so we can enjoy computers). Oh - and a lot of silicon chips get rejected (ie through quality control - faulty chips) too - do those just get thrown out and added to landfill?

Re:sand and microchips

[Raiford]

There is plenty of sand between the ears of a large percentage of slashdot posters. No danger of depleting that resource.

Re:sand and microchips

[Anonymous Coward]

Also most sand is in the Middle East, so when you buy microchips you are giving money to terrorists.

Philosophical question

[Guppy06]

If CmdrTaco posted an article talking about the way he posts dupes, would he duplicate that posting as well?