Carbon fiber production requires a lot of energy, recycling can reduce the energy required to produce new carbon fiber.
The recycled carbon fiber still has good mechanical properties and utilization value,and can be used in parts with relatively low requirements.
Resin forms a three-dimensional cross-networking structure after basic curing, which is insoluble in solvents under normal conditions and cannot be degradation naturally, and will cause environmental pollution if it is not recycled.
The production of carbon fiber consumes a significant amount of energy, making it relatively expensive. Recycling and reusing carbon fiber have become important strategies to reduce energy consumption in producing new carbon fiber and to retain the mechanical properties and value of recycled carbon fiber for use in applications with lower demands.
In recent years, major industrial countries have been conducting research on the recycling and reuse of carbon fiber composite waste to develop efficient, economical, and feasible recycling technologies. The main research focuses on processes such as grinding carbon fiber-reinforced plastics, thermal decomposition of carbon fiber composite materials, catalytic decomposition of carbon fiber composite materials, and fluidized bed recovery of carbon fiber composite materials, as well as reuse technologies.
In November 2003, the European Union member states passed the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive, requiring that 95% of each vehicle produced after January 2015 must be reused or recycled. Airbus plans to have 95% of waste generated in its manufacturing process enter recycling channels, with 5% of waste being reused in aerospace components by 2020-2025.
As recycled carbon fiber is about half the price of raw materials and can retain about 85% of the mechanical properties of new carbon fiber components, the economic benefits are significant.
Carbon fiber recycling and reuse not only achieve the reuse of high-value materials but also greatly reduce energy consumption and environmental pollution in the recycling and reuse of carbon fiber composite components.
Thermal decomposition is a method used to recover carbon fiber by breaking down the resin in composite materials into organic small molecules at high temperatures. This method is suitable for industrial scaling and has been successfully commercialized.
1. Carbon fiber powder
2. Engineering particles
3. Cement reinforcement short cut
4. Thermoplastic materials
5. 3D printing consumable applications
