Carbon Fiber Recycling Could Have a Future in Utah

Carbon Fiber Recycling Could Have a Future in Utah

By David Beckerman, Director Grant Program at Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI)

The production of carbon fiber and key products made of carbon fiber is an important component of Utah’s manufacturing landscape. The strength of carbon fiber, combined with its lightweight, has spurred innovation in aerospace & defense, outdoor products, medical equipment, and other major segments. Utah’s carbon fiber producers and primary carbon fiber users are proud of this role but have also recognized the urgent need for recycling of carbon fiber waste. Nationwide, the manufacture of carbon fiber results in 30% waste. This is in addition to the waste that results from end-of-life carbon fiber products.

A recent whitepaper by the Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) evaluated the potential for carbon fiber recycling in the state, especially given the variety of possible recycling solutions. As Tulinda Larsen, President of UAMMI said, “Utah needs to find solutions to recycling carbon fiber. This white paper provides the foundational research to guide policy discussions and to provide industry with factual data to addressing recycling.”

The fact that Utah has such a long and vibrant history in the carbon fiber industry is one of the reasons that carbon fiber recycling firms are evaluating the state to establish operations. Methods differ substantially among recyclers in terms of both resources (water, energy, time) required to recycle carbon fiber and the resulting byproducts. Although all these methods require varying degrees of energy, all are 20 to 90 percent less energy intensive than the production of virgin carbon fiber.

The two main methods are pyrolysis and solvolysis, while a third, pressolysis, has recently been recognized as a distinct process by the British Standards Institute in the United Kingdom. Pyrolysis uses energy to break apart the polymetric matrix in the carbon fiber resins while solvolysis uses chemical solvents, in liquid or gas form, including water, to extract resins from carbon fiber. With solvolysis, the extracted resins are recoverable for re-use, while resins are not recoverable with pyrolysis. The newest method, pressolysis, reduces material to its plasmic state using pressure. An advantage of this process is that the only product, according to patent-holder B&M Longworth, is water vapor.

Those processes that use less water in their recycling process might be the most politically expedient for the state to encourage or support, although because the technology and associated firms are relatively new, Utah may consider encouraging a variety of solutions that meet the desire for sustainability and waste reduction. Additionally, the quality of the resulting recycled carbon fiber product is most likely to dictate the preferred method regardless of geographic-specific resource constraints. Fortunately, UAMMI’s research suggests that waste volumes and number of companies may be high enough for Utah to host more than one CF recycling company, thereby supporting the potential for a multi-solution approach.

Specifically, UAMMI surveyed Utah firms and estimated that Utah firms generate just over 160,000 pounds of carbon fiber waste each month, equivalent to 962 tons per year. For 2022, that was 2.5 percent of the estimated worldwide production waste. This is already a significant volume, but some carbon fiber recycling firms who have reviewed these numbers believe that these figures could be understated by as much as 25 to 30 percent – not because firms had a reason to under-report, but because, in the recyclers’ experience – manufacturers do not realize the full level of waste that can be recycled. Consequently, actual waste volume levels in Utah may be as high as 1,250 tons.

The demand for recycled carbon fiber is a concern, with several industry observers pointing out that the recycled product is not certified for use in some of the biggest demand industries, such as aerospace, due to loss of. Nevertheless, the growing demand for carbon fiber is such that it is likely to outstrip supply, with some observers believing there is already a 26,000-ton shortfall. This, along with its lower production cost over virgin carbon fibers, is therefore likely to spur the certification of high-quality recycled carbon fiber for more uses, as long as its key properties are within acceptable ranges.

Given the many variables with establishing carbon fiber recycling in Utah – that lack of a global recycling leader or process, the many suppliers of carbon fiber waste, and environmental and energy concerns – UAMMI believes there is the potential to form a consortium in Utah that could contract with several carbon fiber recyclers. The white paper notes that for any single firm, there is a concern about finding the “right” solution, especially if other firms choose another solution. A consortium helps avoid that dilemma. Regardless of how it comes about, UAMMI believes that by leading in carbon fiber recycling, Utah will maintain its role as a global leader in the carbon fiber industry.