Multi-partner UK recycling project Fibrecycle (www.fibrecycleproject.org.uk) has developed a generation of high-performance, low-cost co-mingled carbon fibre yarns and fabrics. The materials consist of carbon/PET, manufactured from virgin recovered carbon fibre that would otherwise have gone to landfill.

The new materials have almost 100% of the stiffness of virgin materials and are available at a lower cost than similar products currently available on the market, Fibrecycle says. They are also beneficial to the environment and retain the traceability of virgin materials. In common with other co-mingled and blended materials, the fabrics are simply placed in a mould tool under pressure and passed through a heating and cooling cycle. The project, which aims to develop processes for recovering and recycling carbon fibre and reusing it in high value products, is nearing the end of its four-year programme and has made “excellent” progress against its objectives of developing low-cost, high-performance carbon fibre materials from waste streams. Yarns, sliver and tape have been produced, together with both woven and non-crimp fabrics. Composite laminates have been press-moulded, with results that indicate that the carbon/PET (50:50 weight ratio) composites offer at least 50% of the tensile strength and 90% of the tensile modulus of an equivalent composite based on virgin fibres.

The project is now working towards low-cost carbon/epoxy materials using recovered carbon fibre as well as other thermoplastic matrices such as PP, PA and PPS. Project manager Sophie Cozien-Cazuc of Advanced Composite Group (ACG, Heanor, Derbyshire / UK; www.advanced-composites.co.uk), said “The materials that have been developed have a significantly lower environmental impact than virgin carbon fibre, because they divert materials from landfill and do not consume the energy needed to produce new fibres. The properties achieved mean that it is suitable for many applications especially in the automotive, aerospace, sports and leisure, medical and energy sectors.”

Fibrecycle is a research project with funding support from the UK’s Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org). It is composed of six partners: Lead partner, high performance pre-preg manufacturer ACG, textile products specialist Tilsatec (Wakefield / UK; www.tilsatec.com), carbon fibre converter Sigmatex (Runcorn / UK; www.sigmatex.com), composite profile and tube producer Exel Composites (Runcorn / UK; www.exelcomposites.com), research consultancy NetComposites (Chesterfield / UK; www.netcomposites.com) and the Centre for Technical Textiles at the University of Leeds. The aim of the project is to develop long and continuous yarn, based on carbon fibre recovered from waste streams, to allow the manufacture of technical fabric for the composites industry.