EURECOMP

Recycling Thermoset Composites of the SST

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The goal of this project is to set up a new route to recycle composites, which will decrease the cost of production waste disposal by 50%. The whole composites sector is now aware of the environmental rules about wastes from composites production (directive on End-of-life Vehicles 2000/53/EC or directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) which apply to their industry. The routes currently available are expensive and do not give the best use of the wastes, since they are mainly burnt. The heat generated by the combustion process, and the ashes in cement furnaces, are the main, low value, returns. End products given by grinding reused in resins and polymers usually give bad quality products. The consortium believes that it is possible to get a better route if the organic phase is converted to ‘small’ molecules which can be used by the chemical industry and if the mineral phases can be used again in composites. The community wants to define the best conditions in order to obtain a physico-chemical (solvolysis) separation of the different components of the composite and to get the best commercial added value from the end products. In addition, to improve the general standard of competitiveness of the European composite community by reducing the waste management cost, the process will help the composite industry to comply with European regulations.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Some plastic or polymer-based composite materials are not easily recycled. Scientists proved the technical feasibility of a new process to retrieve fibres and chemicals from old boats and cars.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Environmental legislation requires industry to recycle production waste and end-of-life products rather than disposing of them in landfills. The European composites industry has been actively seeking ways to meet requirements for doing this. Composites consisting of two or more materials often take the form of a resin matrix reinforced by fibres.

Prior to the EU-funded project 'Recycling thermoset composites of the SST' (Eurecomp), there was no satisfactory treatment solution for so-called thermoset composites that cannot be melted once they set into cross-linked three-dimensional (3D) form. Burning is basically a disposal rather than a recycling route, yielding heat but generating polluting emissions. Mechanical breakdown leads to the recovery of only low-value reinforcements. Scientists initiated Eurecomp to develop recycling technology to recover from the surface transport industry products of the highest possible commercial value for sustainable surface transport (SST).

The Eurecomp team identified production waste, end-of-life boats and vehicles to be the main sources of composite waste in Europe. Researchers adapted the physicochemical separation and recovery process called solvolysis. They built a laboratory prototype solvolysis reactor, identified main process parameters of interest, and set to work to identify the range of parameters leading to the best recovery of desired products.

Preliminary results enabled identification of recovered components as well as testing of their properties to determine whether or not interesting materials were present and if they could be reused. During the second phase of the project, a large-scale prototype reactor was built. Solvolysis trials were initiated using parameters defined in preliminary tests and modified according to need with the new reactor. Scientists successfully recovered mineral fibres to be reused as reinforcement in new composites and small molecules from the organic phase (polymer matrix) to be used by the chemical industry. A life-cycle assessment (LCA) highlighted areas for optimisation to achieve economically feasible industrial upscaling.

Eurecomp demonstrated the technical feasibility of using state-of-the-art solvolysis to obtain useful fibres and chemicals from thermoset composite waste. Commercialisation should have important impact on costs for both the composites industry and consumers of related products, as well as for the environment.