Recycling treatment of carbon fibre/epoxy composites: Materials recovery and characterization and environmental impacts through life cycle assessment

Published Date
Composites Part B: Engineering
1 November 2016, Vol.104:17–25, doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2016.08.015

• Author 

• A.D. La Rosa ^a,,
• D.R. Banatao ^b
• S.J. Pastine ^b
• A. Latteri ^a
• G. Cicala ^a

• aDepartment of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAR), v.le A.Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
• bConnora Technologies Inc., 30621 San Antonio St, Hayward, CA, 94544, USA

Received 13 May 2016. Accepted 17 August 2016. Available online 20 August 2016. 

Abstract

A new commercial amine-based epoxy curing agent, engineered to produce recyclable composites, was studied. Carbon fibre (CF)/epoxy composites were manufactured through high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) and chemically treated in order to recover clean CFs as well as an epoxy thermoplastic polymer, as recycled products. The chemical structure of the new epoxy thermoplastic polymer obtained was drawn and confirmed by polymer characterisation. Furthermore an evaluation of the avoided environmental impacts associated to the recyclability of the thermoset composite was carried out, by using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method.

Keywords

• Thermosetting resins
• Recycling
• Carbon fibers
• Life cycle assessment

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• ∗ 
  Corresponding author.

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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