Embodied Energy in Pyrolysis and Solvolysis Approaches to Recycling for Carbon Fiber-Epoxy Reinforced Composite Waste Streams

Komal Kooduvalli, John Unser, Soydan Ozcan, Uday K. Vaidya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Carbon fiber composites are increasingly used in aerospace, motorcycles, sporting, and high-performance vehicles, and their end of life recycling is of growing interest. This study deals with the life cycle assessment (LCA) of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) waste streams. The embodied energy (EE) of recycling CFRP via two viable methods—i.e., pyrolysis and solvolysis—is studied. Both pyrolysis and solvolysis were studied for EE with different variants. Alongside fiber recovery from CFRP, the pyrolysis process calculations consider energy recovery from syngas and oil produced within the system. For pyrolysis, electric furnace and natural gas were primarily considered. For solvolysis, different solvent scenarios were considered, including (a) deionized water, (b) water and potassium hydroxide, (c) acetone and water, and (d) water with acetic acid and potassium hydroxide. Energy reduction from one generation to the next has also been highlighted. The EE for recycling CFRP is quantified and discussed for these scenarios in this paper.

Original languageEnglish
Article number6
JournalRecycling
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2022

Funding

Funding: The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI)—the Composites Institute US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Award Number DE-EE0006926 and funding from Grant # P42 ES027723-01A1 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

Keywords

  • Composites
  • Embodied energy
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Pyrolysis
  • Recycling
  • Solvolysis

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