| Abstract |
Sustainability in the Advanced Composites Industry means many things to many people. This paper addresses the current challenges and approaches to reaching the overall goal of sustainable composite materials. The discussion includes the state of the art in natural fiber and resin formulations, recycling composites after they have completed their useful life, research into the means of separating the fibers from the matrix plastics that bind them together, and reuse of the original constituents of the composite being recycled. The challenges are many since the resin formulations and the surface chemistry of the fibers is specifically tailored during manufacture to resist taking them apart. This paper, therefore, presents current methods for recycling, which are primarily grinding or chopping up the composite and reusing the chopped up composite in a lower performance material. It also presents current research areas that are attempting to recycle composites without creating excess greenhouse gases or hazardous chemicals, and chemical and thermo-chemical methods being proposed, some of which are in development, to render the resin or plastic binding the fibers together from a solid back into a liquid so that the fibers can be more easily removed without damaging them, making them available for reuse. The paper concludes with a description of what a Circular Economy means WRT advanced composites and what is needed to close the circle and make composites truly sustainable. |