WSU team recycles carbon fibre composites

The work, reported in Polymer Degradation and Stability, is claimed to provide an efficient way to re-use the carbon fibre and other materials that make up the composite parts.

Carbon fibre reinforced plastics are utilised in a number of industries because they are light and strong but they are also difficult to break down or recycle.

Thermoplastics can be melted and re-used but most composites used in planes are thermosets that are cured and can't easily be undone and returned to their original materials.

To recycle the materials, researchers have so far tried grinding them down mechanically or breaking them down with very high temperatures or harsh chemicals to recover the carbon fibre. A problem with the latter process lies in the caustic chemicals that are hazardous and difficult to dispose of. They also destroy the matrix resin materials in the composites, creating a mixture of chemicals and an additional waste problem.