Recyclability and Embodied Energy of Advanced Polymer Matrix
Composites EPR2023018
Recycling of advanced composites made from carbon fibers in epoxy resins is
essential for two primary reasons. First, the energy necessary to produce carbon
fibers is very high and therefore reusing these fibers could greatly reduce the
lifecycle energy of components which use them. Second, if the material is
allowed to break down in the environment, it will contribute to the growing
presence of microplastics and other synthetic pollutants.
Recyclability and Embodied Energy of Advanced Polymer Matrix
Composites discusses current recycling and disposal
methods—which typically do not aim for full circularity, but rather successive
downcycling—and addresses the major challenge of aligning fibers into
unidirectional tows of real value in high-performance composites.
