REINFORCEMENTS | MATERIALS
Recycling reinforces role of carbon fibre
Recycled carbon fibre paves the way for the development of lightweight high performance compounds with completely new property
characteristics.Peter Mapleston finds out more
Arguments about sustainability continue to swirl around plastics: can they be made in a more sustainable way; can the sustainability of the products and systems they are used in be en- hanced. Reinforcements are not exempt from the discussion and many manufacturers with products suitable for use in thermoplastics compounds are actively involved both in the debate and in the development of new solutions. Suppliers of carbon fibres are, for example, making important progress in the reprocessing and repurposing of material from composites produc- tion that would otherwise be considered scrap. Manufacturers of glass reinforcements are also offering alternative options. At the same time, producers are expressing concern about the cost of the energy they need to make their products, and how this is being affected by the move away from fossil fuels (a move being hastened by sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine).
www.compoundingworld.com According to Hans Miltner, who provides technical
market and business development services to Belgium’s Procotex and its subsidiary Apply Carbon, plastics reinforced with recycled carbon fibres could hold the key both to a robust circular supply chain and more sustainable applications. In the mobility sector, for example, the shift to electric drivetrains presents new challenges and offers new opportunities. Car makers find them- selves having to pursue lightweighting solutions that can compensate for the additional weight of the batteries. Aluminium provides one solution but it carries a significantly higher embedded carbon footprint than steel (by a factor of around five). Moving from metal to plastics, especially reinforced plastics, can make sound sense. Then there is the question of shielding electron- ics in cars, using antistatic, EMI shielding or electri- cally conductive materials. This provides significant potential for plastic compounds that can combine
Main image: Carbon fibre recycling technologies are reducing the cost of access to this high perfor- mance polymer reinforcement
June 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 27
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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