The Race to Reuse with Sports Carbon Fiber Recycling

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Carbon fiber (CF) is a woven cloth made out of crystalline filaments of carbon that is mixed with polymer. It can be layered and shaped around a mold to give it any desired shape. The strength-to-weight ratio makes it an ideal material that is strong and yet lightweight. It is five times lighter than steel and is the better choice amongst the two. Moreover, this composite material is non-toxic, non-flammable and also corrosion-resistant. As such this material has high demands in the medical, construction, military and aerospace industry.

Carbon Fiber and its Numerous Applications

Carbon fiber products are used in the aerospace industry. CF is used in place of alloys thereby making the product lighter. This also has a direct impact on the fuel consumption of the plane. Lesser fuel is consumed by planes made out of CF.

It is also used in many other areas. The skis, bikes, tennis rackets that are being used nowadays are all lightweight, strong and durable – why? All these items are made using carbon fiber tubes. As such the items become lightweight and it is easier to use them. When one is playing tennis if the racket is heavy, it becomes difficult to play a shot. But when it is lightweight, swinging your hand to make the desired shot becomes easy. You have to make less effort to play a better game. In the last few years, the demand for CF has increased rapidly in the professional sports arena like F1 racing and NASCAR. This composite material is also used in X-Ray machines thereby allowing better and clearer X-Ray results.

Why is Recycling Carbon Fiber Difficult? Let’s Find Out

Carbon fiber sheets require a certain amount of energy for production. One has to cut down these sheets as per their need. The remaining portion is often discarded leading to waste production. Moreover, since this composite material is non-biodegradable, it is sent to a landfill where it stays permanently.

CF is difficult to recycle because the material holds its shape and strength. As such it does not melt easily and cannot be reused like other products that are often melted to create new shapes and are reused. If CF is recycled, its inherent properties go down, thereby rendering the material useless even for applications where it is typically used.

How can You Recycle Carbon Fiber? 

There are two different ways in which CF is recycled. Let’s have a look:

1. Solvolysis

This process uses a chemical solvent to break down the polymer surrounding the carbon fiber fabric. The solvent breaks down the polymer chains thereby separating the CF from polymer. Centrifugation is a popular technique to achieve this desired result. Often CF is further purified to restore its properties so that it can be added with virgin fibers to create a new fabric. This process in short helps to recover the CF and reuse it without compromising on the inherent properties of the composite material.

2. Pyrolysis

This process used heat unlike a solvent to breakdown the polymer. The waste CF is then shredded into small pieces which is heated in a controlled environment. The limited or lack of oxygen in the environment helps to melt the composite material faster. In fact, when exposed to the high temperatures, the CF undergoes thermal decomposition. It also produces vapors, gases and chars. In this process, the resulting CF produced can be used as it is or can be mixed with virgin fibers.

What’s the takeaway?

As and when we innovate a new and better technology, we need to consider its impact on the environment as well. Nothing is free from consequences. CF is a great composite material that has use in diverse industries but the waste ends up in a landfill adding to the environmental hazards. However, companies are using different techniques to recycle CF and its products like carbon fiber tubes. The focus is on closed-loop systems. If things go this way, then the future is indeed bright.