Japanese carbon fibre manufacturer Toray (Tokyo / Japan; www.toray.com) and Toyota Tsusho (Nagoya / Japan; www.toyota-tsusho.com) are to launch a joint carbon fibre recycling initiative to develop recycled carbon fibre manufacturing technology using a thermal decomposition method. Toray said the proposal for efficient recycled carbon fibre manufacturing relies on an innovative and energy-efficient thermal decomposition method. Using this technology, combustible decomposition gas from matrix resin is used as the energy source for the thermal decomposition process, which normally consumes the most energy in carbon fibre recycling. As a result, the companies expect to achieve a large reduction in the amount of energy consumed in the recycling process.

The companies plan to build a pilot plant operated by Toyota Tsusho’s wholly owned subsidiary Toyota Chemical Engineering. The facility is expected to demonstrate energy-efficient recycled carbon fibre manufacturing technologies while promoting the development of new applications for recycled carbon fibre.

The companies’ proposal for this technology has been selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO; www.nedo.go.jp/english/) as part of its 2015 “Strategic Innovation Program for Energy Conservation Technologies”.