Closed Loop Composite Recycling Process

The recycling of composites on a large scale is an unsolved problem. Currently, the material is either ground up into near-worthless fillers, incinerated, or digested using environmentally questionable technology. Adherent Technologies, Inc. has developed a number of technologies to reclaim valuable carbon fiber and other raw materials from these composites in a potentially economically feasible manner. Since unsorted composite waste contains thermoplastic and thermoset polymer matrices, as well as contaminants like metals, paints and sealants, it is necessary to develop a unified approach that can treat all the materials at once without the need for extensive, and expensive, presorting. To achieve this, the composite waste will be treated in a three-step process, including a thermal pretreatment and two wet chemical processes. The Phase I program includes an investigation of all three processes on a laboratory scale as well as a final demonstration on pilot-scale equipment.