Washington State University researchers have received a $2 million Department of Energy (DOE) research award to develop an eco-friendly way to use recycled carbon fiber in car components.
Using recycled rather than new carbon fiber materials in car components would require about 10% of the energy of virgin carbon fiber and could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in production by about 85%, said Jinwen Zhang, the project leader and a professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
“The intended outcome involves the production of recyclable automotive parts that are both performance-competitive and cost-effective when compared to their conventional counterparts,” he said.
Using carbon fiber-reinforced plastics are appealing to many industries, such as aviation and automotive, because they are lightweight and strong, providing improved performance and fuel efficiency compared to heavier materials, such as metals. Carbon fiber composites are used in car doors, fenders, hoods, and roofs, for instance.
Being able to reuse and recycle the material would save money and energy use, but carbon fiber composites have been difficult to recycle. Unlike plastic milk bottles that can be simply melted down and re-used, the composites contain thermoset matrix resins. When they are made, they are irreversibly cured and can’t easily be undone to their original materials.
Zhang and his team at the Composite Materials and Engineering Center recently developed a new chemical recycling method that uses a mild Lewis acid as a catalyst and an eco-friendly and benign industrial solvent to break down the thermosets. The researchers are able to preserve the carbon fibers as well as the resin material in a useful form that can be easily re-used. Their formula works at moderate temperatures below 200 degrees C and ambient pressure without the need for a pressure chamber.
The researchers have shown that after shredding the carbon fiber composite materials into chips, they can break it down in three hours and preserve the strength properties of the original carbon fiber. Their process can also be done in a continuous or semi continuous process without generating any secondary waste.
As part of the cooperative agreement through DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office, the researchers hope to transition the technology from the laboratory to initial commercialization. The award also includes researchers from North Dakota State University, University of Wyoming, and Pacific Northwest National laboratory (PNNL). They are also collaborating with Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI).
