Toward a circular economy: zero-waste manufacturing of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites

Barnett, Philip R.; Hmeidat, Nadim S.; Zheng, Bingqian; Penumadu, Dayakar

doi:10.1038/s44296-024-00006-y

Title: Toward a circular economy: zero-waste manufacturing of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites

Journal Article · 10 March 2024 · npj Materials Sustainability

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44296-024-00006-y · OSTI ID:2324023

Barnett, Philip R. ^[1]; Hmeidat, Nadim S. ^[2]; Zheng, Bingqian ^[3]; Penumadu, Dayakar ^[4]

Univ. of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, Knoxville, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States)
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States); UES, Inc, Dayton, OH (United States)
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

Fiber-reinforced composites are becoming ubiquitous as a way of lightweighting in the wind, aerospace, and automotive industries, but current recycling technologies fall short of a circular economy. In this work, fiber-reinforced composites made of recycled carbon fiber and polyphenylene sulfide were recycled and remanufactured using common processing technologies such as compression and injection molding. An industrially viable size-exclusive sieving technique was used to retain fiber length and reduce variability in the mechanical properties of the remanufactured composites. Fiber length reduction alone could not explain the strength reductions apparent in the composites, which we propose are due to microstructural inhomogeneity as defined by poor dispersion of the fibers. Future recycling efforts must focus on fiber length retention and good dispersion to make composite remanufacturing a viable path toward a circular economy.

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2324023

Journal Information:: npj Materials Sustainability, Journal Name: npj Materials Sustainability Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 2; ISSN 2948-1775

Publisher:: Springer NatureCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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