The looming 840,000 ton waste problem that isn't single-use plastics
Researchers develop recycling method to address carbon and glass fiber composites waste crisis

Date:
July 3, 2023
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have developed new methods to solve a major source
of future waste from the automotive, aerospace and renewable
industries.


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It's estimated that by 2030 carbon and glass fibre composites (CFRP),
materials commonly used in wind turbine blades, hydrogen tanks, airplanes, yachts, construction, and car manufacturing, will be a key waste stream worldwide.

The annual accumulation of CFRP waste from aircraft and wind turbine
industries alone is projected to reach 840,300 tonnes by 2050 -- the
equivalent of 34 full stadiums -- if suitable recycling methods are
not adopted.

While recycling methods do exist, most of this waste currently goes
to landfill or is incinerated. The production of "virgin" composites
has further implications for the environment too, including resource
depletion and high energy input during production.

This is despite the existence of numerous methods to recycle carbon fibre composites which a research team at the University of Sydney says, if
fully implemented, have the potential to significantly reduce energy use
by 70 percent and prevent key streams of materials from going to waste.

"Carbon fibre composites are considered a 'wonder' material -- they are durable, resistant to weathering and highly versatile -- so much so that
their use is projected to increase by at least 60 percent in the next
decade alone," said Dr Hadigheh from the School of Civil Engineering. "But
this huge growth also brings a huge increase in waste. For instance,
it's been estimated that around 500,000 tonnes of carbon and glass
fibre composite waste from the renewable energy sector will exist by
2030." A new recycling method To tackle this issue, Dr Hadigheh and
his recent PhD graduate Dr Yaning Wei have developed a new recycling
method for carbon and glass fibre composites in a bid to prevent from end-of-generation materials going to landfill. Published in Composites
Part B: Engineering their approach ensures increased material recovery
and improved energy efficiency compared to previous methods.

"Our kinetic analysis revealed that pre-treated CFRP undergoes
an additional reaction stage, enabling enhanced breakdown at lower
temperatures compared to untreated CFRP," said Dr Hadigheh. The solvolysis pre-treatment not only facilitates greater breakdown but also preserves
the mechanical properties of fibres by reducing heat consumption during recycling." Recycled fibres obtained from pre-treated CFRP retained
up to 90 percent of their original strength, surpassing the strength of
fibres recovered through thermal degradation alone by 10 percent.

"To demonstrate the real-world applicability of our method, we
successfully recycled part of a bicycle frame and airplane scraps made
of CFRP composites using our hybrid approach. These results not only
validate the effectiveness of chemical pre-treatment but also demonstrate
the improved mechanical characteristics of the recycled carbon fibres,"
said Dr Hadigheh.

Reclaiming carbon fibre In a previous paper, the team also presented
a detailed evaluation of 10 different carbon and glass fibre composite
waste treatment systems based on economic efficiency and environmental
effects, taking into consideration the type of waste material and its geographical location.

Dr Hadigheh's team found that solvolysis -- a method whereby materials can
be broken down with an application of solvent under a specific pressure
and temperature -- could reclaim carbon fibre while delivering a high
net profit.

Thermal recycling methods such as catalytic pyrolysis and pyrolysis
coupled with oxidation also provided a high economic return.

Solvolysis and electrochemical methods were also shown to lead to
substantially lower CO2 emissions into the atmosphere than landfilling
and incineration.

A huge opportunity The researchers said that manufacturers should look
beyond continuously creating virgin material and, in parallel, develop
recycled products from end- of-life streams.

"This is a huge opportunity," said Dr Wei. "And not only because various
modes of recycling are cost-effective and minimally impactful on the environment. In an era of mounting supply chain disruptions, local
recycled products can provide a more immediate product when compared
to imports and create a burgeoning advanced manufacturing industry."
"While awareness of everyday consumer recycling is increasing and plastic
waste is in the spotlight, Australia must urgently consider wide-scale recycling of new generation construction materials before they mount
up as another waste problem and are put into the 'too hard basket'."
Dr Hadigheh's team is also developing methods for the recycling of
composite materials and recently patented a machine to precisely align
recycled carbon fibres, so that they can be repurposed.

About the analysis The researchers conducted life cycle analysis
(LCA), cost benefit analysis (CBA) and technology readiness level
(TRL) assessments of the different waste treatment methods: landfill, incineration, mechanical recycling, catalytic pyrolysis, oxidation,
pyrolysis combined with oxidation, fluidised bed, solvolysis using alkali
and acid solvents, and electrochemical methods.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Matter_&_Energy
# Engineering_and_Construction # Civil_Engineering #
Construction
o Earth_&_Climate
# Recycling_and_Waste # Environmental_Science #
Hazardous_Waste
o Science_&_Society
# Energy_Issues # Environmental_Policies # STEM_Education
* RELATED_TERMS
o Automotive_aerodynamics o Renewable_energy o Radioactive_waste
o Hazardous_waste o Geothermal_power o Energy_development o
Liquid_nitrogen_economy o Waste

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========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Y. Wei, S.A. Hadigheh. Development of an innovative hybrid thermo-
chemical recycling method for CFRP waste recovery. Composites
Part B: Engineering, 2023; 260: 110786 DOI:
10.1016/j.compositesb.2023.110786 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230703133034.htm

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