Upcycling Of Polymer Composites For Vehicle Decarbonization

C56-12c-272445Carbon fiber composites (CFCs) exhibit superior properties and combined with part consolidation, reduce system weight significantly compared to metal approaches. But CFCs have high embodied energy (~230MJ/kg) and the virgin carbon fiber (vCF) feedstock is expensive (>$20/kg). Recycling of CFCs has the potential to recapture the material value at a much lower cost, reduce the embodied energy of the CFCs and provide a pathway to reduce waste. CFC recycling is in its infancy as an industry with the key challenges being 1) the ability to recover the fibers with full fiber property retention at lower cost and energy, and 2) conversion of the recycled material into high-value CFC, reducing original embodied energy and cost but not performance. To address these challenges, Composites Automation LLC (CA) has teamed up with the carbon fiber recycling supply chain in the US and will demonstrate part production with superior composite property retention meeting automotive performance for the first time. The project will utilize recycled carbon fibers (rCFs) from commercial sources into high-fiber volume fraction, high-performance CFCs using the Tailorable universal Feedstock for Forming (TuFF) process and combine it with snap-cure resin technology creating a pathway for the upcycled CFC to meet automotive rate, performance and cost at significant lower embodied energy compared to virgin CFCs. The approach enables reduction of material waste, meet end-of-life regulation, enable lower cost CFCs, reduce overall emission and greenhouse gases and meet consumer demand for green products. The innovation will influence vehicle mass production strategies and lead to reduced part cost and environmental impact (Green House Gases of lightweight vehicles, embodied energy) of composite structures. The opportunity to integrate lower cost rCFs to produce a low-cost, energy-efficient but high-performance composite material for large-volume applications is significant. We will demonstrate a rCF material with similar forming characteristic as metal at a price point of $10 per pound that is significantly lower than existing continuous CFC part costs with a potential 90% reduction in embodied energy through the use of recycled carbon fibers. Price reduction will be driven by part consolidation, material cost reduction due to lower part weight and rCF cost, and rapid, automated manufacturing approaches that leverage existing metal production methods.