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Knowledge Transfer Networks Accelerating business innovation:

A Technology Strategy Board programme



Composite materials and

end of life

High Value Manufacturing: Novel Materials and Opportunities for the Circular Economy

14th January 2014

Stella Job

[email protected]





What is the Materials

Knowledge Transfer Network?

• Currently 15 KTN communities

covering different sectors (ES, MBE,

Transport, AAD.. )

• Networking activities

• Identify emerging technology and

market needs

• Strengthen links between academia,

RTOs and industry

• Connect and catalyse

Materials KTN vision

"To bring together the materials supply chain to improve industrial

innovation and global competitiveness of UK business”





GFRP market:

Waste volumes

• GRP production 130kt

CFRP production 2.5 to 3kt

• GRP Waste:

– manufacturing waste 15kt/yr

– EOL waste – no way to measure,

poss 30-50kt, increasing to 100kt in 2030

• CFRP Waste

– C-fibre composite waste in UK possibly 1,000 t/yr

– EOL waste – still small, but will increase

• For comparison:

– Total plastic waste in UK approx 3 million t/yr





CFRP recycling:

Processes

• Pyrolysis

– Resin burned off with limited oxygen

– Stiffness retained; strength varies

• Fluidised bed

– Original stiffness of fibres retained,

C-fibres lose ~20% of tensile strength

– Very tolerant of contaminated materials

– Cleaner fibres

– Current Boeing, Nottingham, MIT-RCF

• Solvolysis = Thermo-chemical depolymerisation

– Uses fluids under sub- / super-critical conditions, recovers resin chemicals

– Work in Japan > 10 years

– Uni of Nottingham (AFRECAR ); Exeter, Bristol & others (EURECOMP)

– Now U of Birmingham (EXHUME)

Fluidised

bed process

Prof Steve Pickering,

U of Nottingham





CFRP recycling:

• Demonstrated by recent research:

– U of Nottingham (Afrecar): short fibre aligned veils

– Imperial College: pyrolysed fabric can be re-impregnated

– Dry fibres made into slivers, tows, woven fabric and aligned

veils, commingled with PET – Fibrecycle

– Dry fibres in filament wound products - E3Comp

• Commercially active in UK:

– ELG Carbon Fibre in W Mids

(pyrolysis) – milled, chopped,

pelletised C-fibre.

Mainly for anti-static thermoplastics.

• In Europe, CFK, Hadeg, Karborek. Also

Procotex





CFRP recycling workshop 2011:

key points raised

• Provenance – need to know where material comes

from and what it contains (fire retardants, etc)

• LCA data for recycling processes not available

• Need to inform industry that recycling is available,

e.g. through materials suppliers

• For higher value use, need higher fibre volume

fraction, which is achieved by better fibre alignment

• Quality standards, testing and demonstrators needed

to give confidence to designers

• Landfill tax is not significant for C-fibre, but further

“polluter pays” legislation or banning landfill is a risk

which drives recycling

Wave

Angela Connor, Dublin





GRP recycling:

Processes

Ground recyclate

• Fine filler – ERCOM history of

market failure

• Use in moulding compounds

at ~20% is well demonstrated

• Separation of longer fibres, adds value

• In concrete – precast products, screeds, foamed concrete

• Several other products have been tried – wood plastic composites;

rubber products; particleboard; compounds for injection moulding





GRP recycling:

Processes

Pyrolysis

• Researched at Leeds Uni 2001-3, and much in Japan

• Insulation slabs (Denmark)

Fluidised bed

• Nottingham University

Cement Kiln Route

• Polymer burnt for energy recovery, glass and CaCO3 filler are mineral

feedstock for cement.

• Operated by Zajons in Germany, accepted in EU as valid recyc route

Dry fibre waste

• (E3COMP) Filament winding, pultrusion, aligned prepregs

• Into ceramic tiles, composite manhole covers, plastic lumber





GFRP recycling:

What is commercially active?

• In UK (in-house or 1:1)

– Limited use of ground recyclate by

roofing sheet manufacturers

– Dry fibre waste in thermoplastic

• In Europe

– Cement kiln route, e.g. Zajons ‘Compocycle’ process (Germany)

– Ground GFRP waste in moulding compounds for car parts,

longer fibres in concrete – MCR (Plastic Omnium)

– Dry fibre waste - 3B / Reprocover manhole covers (Belgium)

Photo: Hambleside Danelaw

http://www.hambleside-danelaw.co.uk/images/photo-gallery/tesco-lg.jpg





Recycling routes:

Seeking higher value

Post-treatment (ReCoVeR 2011 – 2015)

• Strathclyde University developing treatment to restore properties

All routes result in loss of fibre strength (typ. by 20-50%) though

stiffness is usually substantially maintained.

(Except ReCoVeR)

Solvolysis (EURECOMP 2009 - 2012)

• Using high temperature and

pressure water to remove the

resin. Speed, cost and effect

on properties.





GFRP recycling workshop 2011:

Drivers & barriers

There is a clear need for an intermediary company to handle waste, recycle and supply back to market

Drivers

Increasing landfill tax

Risk of further “polluter pays” legislation like ELV

Effect of recyclability on markets, corporate image

Barriers

Can GFRP recycling be economically viable? (Need

to know volumes)

Difficulty of getting diverse GFRP industries to work

together





Resource Efficiency Action Plan

(REAP)

• Initiated by Composites UK, funded by WRAP, delivered by URS &

NetComposites

• Industry stakeholder group represents supply chain to develop

actions

• REAP document with defined actions – “living” document

• Composites Leadership Forum will take responsibility, in

Sustainability Working Group





REAP actions

Markets Help develop commercially viable markets for GFRP

recyclate

Processes Support the commercialisation of new processes for

GFRP and CFRP recycling

Materials Provide consistency in the categorisation of composite

wastes

Information Disseminate case studies, information on best-practice

and emerging technologies, particularly to SMEs





Problems and Opportunities

Excellent environmentally

(light weight & durability)

Meet needs in other markets

Large market for chopped fibres

(also MIT-RCF)

Some markets value recycled

material; landfill charges

Other processes developed

(Strong UK activity); D4D; but also

incineration / cement kiln

Success = more to recycle

Closed loop very difficult

CF: Much effort reqd to re-create

aligned fabrics

GF: Economics v. tight

Challenges to economic viability:

Contamination; additives; cost of

disassembly

L E G I S L A T I O N





“What will be the most productive actions,

from industry and from government support,

as we go forward?”

1. Creation of an economically viable recycling supply chain for GRP.

Must be industry led, but needs govt support, for capital investment

as well as research.

2. Continued industry-focussed research to:

• address challenges from contamination and additives

• provide comparative LCA data

• raise value of recyclates

3. Increasing landfill tax - burdens small businesses, but now

essential & will help drive recycling

4. Support of govt funded agencies - composites industry knows

about manufacturing, not recycling, & needs to connect with other

sectors to develop markets for recyclate. (e.g. WRAP, KTNs, NISP?)

5. The Composites Leadership Forum - industry & government

working together, providing cohesion and a united voice.





Thank you

Comments / questions

welcome

Stella Job

[email protected]

www.materialsktn.net

To keep in touch with what we’re doing with end of life composites join our subgroup at https://ktn.innovateuk.org/web/composite-end-of-life





GFRP market:

Production volumes

From AVK Composites Market Report 2013 at www.avk-tv.de





GFRP market:

Diversity of sectors

• Boatbuilding

• Construction – roofing, sanitary

ware, tanks, footbridges, windows

& doors…

• Automotive – niche vehicles, small

parts, truck & bus, caravans…

• Wind turbine blades

• Sports goods

• Oil & gas – fire / blast protection,

pipes

• Ships – pipework, gratings, lockers,

radomes, masts, shower cubicles

• Electronics

• Aero - mainly interiors w phenolic

• Rail

Fig. 2 GRP production in Europe for different application

industries (year: 2013)

From AVK Composites Market Report 2012

Note: Leisure boats are in Sports & Leisure, other boats are

in Transport

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