ADDITIVES | REINFORCEMENT
Recycled carbon fibres are displacing glass fibres in some applications for improved performance at lower weight. The chart compares tensile modulus of 30 wt% glass-reinforced PA66 and compounds reinforced with recycled carbon fibre at 10 wt% and 30 wt% Source: Procotex
and commercial collaboration to foster the use of post-industrial rCF. Vartega’s process will be used to convert Syensqo’s dry carbon fibre and prepreg waste from its North American sites into Vartega’s rCF EasyFeed Bundles. The rCF will be used in Syensqo’s carbon fibre-reinforced specialty polymers Echo portfolio, for automotive parts such as structural parts, dampening rings and transmission-related applications. “The goal is to close the loop on Syensqo’s manufacturing waste,” explained Flagg.
Capacity for growth Managing the end-of-life of fibre-reinforced composites is an increasing challenge, as this waste is growing, said Hans Miltner, a senior consultant acting for Procotex France. The subsidiary of Procotex, a Belgian-headquartered sustainable and recycled fibre manufacturer for various industries, was previously known as Apply Carbon France, until its name change in March this year. While reclaiming fibres from end-of-life parts still presents challenges, reclaiming fibres from textiles or prepreg production waste is well established and scalable, said Miltner. Procotex France is producing approximately 2,700 tonnes/yr of carbon fibre products at its carbon fibre recycling facility. The facility has a nameplate capacity nearing 4,000 tonnes/yr and is prepared to meet a forecasted growth in demand, Miltner reported.
An adjacent facility for recycled para-aramid
fibres has an annual production capacity exceeding 700 tonnes. Miltner said there is a misconception that there is not enough carbon and aramid fibre waste available for recycling. “In reality, there is a growing gap between the volume of fibre waste produced annually and the
26 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2025
demand for short fibres in the market. The result is fibre waste accumulating rapidly, with recycling facilities well-positioned to bridge this gap,” he said. Another misconception is that the recycled materi- als result in variable quality. “Procotex France takes a robust approach to this challenge by keeping full traceability of incoming waste streams and focusing on homogenising raw materials. Through careful processing and constant quality control, the company ensures batch-to-batch reproducibility and guarantees that all products meet rigorous quality standards,” said Miltner. Using cost-effective waste streams and an energy-efficient mechanical recycling process makes the cost of recycled fibres less than that of virgin counterparts and significantly reduces carbon footprint. “With a recycled product portfolio now able to compete with virgin fibres, and with the measures taken to ensure a robust supply at constant quality, Procotex France sees the market’s initial reluctance to adopt sustainable fibres turn into a strongly posi- tive sentiment around these new options,” said Miltner. “Besides the substitution of virgin carbon or aramid fibres by their recycled counterparts, Procotex France is also seeing other materials such as aluminum or glass-reinforced plastics being displaced, often resulting in improved functional performance at lower weight.”
Traceability The latest from Teijin Carbon is Tenax Next R2S P513 6mm, a short carbon fibre (SCF) product in rice- shaped form for reinforcing thermoplastic com- pounds that is made from repurposed loose fibre materials. By using byproduct fibre materials, the carbon footprint of the SCF is reduced. Applications include sporting goods, electronics and automotive. Teijin worked with Netherlands-based Circularise
to create a digital product passport (DPP) that creates traceability of the material by verifying material origin. DPPs are being mandated by Europe’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which came into force in July 2024, with requirements for DPPs of industrial and electric vehicle batteries beginning 2027. Circularise says that its platform enables end-to-end product traceability beyond tier-1 suppliers, supports DPPs, generates audit-ready reports, and allows secure data collection, management, and sharing. With the push to create a circular economy, companies are seeking new ways to recycle waste material and to use recycled material in place of virgin material. Johns Manville (JM), in partnership with
PureLoop (part of the Erema group in Austria), has
www.compoundingworld.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
