The main objective of the project is to develop sustainable and recyclable fibre-reinforced composites based on thermoplastic resin matrices for applications in the automotive and aerospace industries, which can undergo chemical recycling processes and subsequently enable the reuse of recovered fibres and resins.

Project consortium partners:

  • Composites United Leichtbau-Forschung GmbH, Germany (CU)
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology, Germany (IWU)
  • Bydgoszcz Industrial Cluster – Tool Valley, Poland (BIC)
  • Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis “Blachownia”, Poland (Ł-ICSO)

The research focuses on the laboratory-scale development of an environmentally friendly chemical recycling strategy for two generations of thermoplastic resin-based CFRP composites manufactured within the project.

The project includes validation of chemical recycling conditions to recover fibres and resin matrices suitable for reuse in VARI or RTM processes
(VARi – Vacuum-Assisted Resin Infusion, RTM – Resin Transfer Moulding).

An eco-friendly solvent from the group of glycols and/or carbonates will also be selected as an environmentally benign alternative to commonly used toxic solvents such as acetone, xylene, or DMF.

Ageing and mechanical tests, as well as LCC (Life Cycle Costing) and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) analyses, will be conducted. These activities will enable a reduction in energy consumption and waste generation, while taking environmental aspects into account in line with the Circular Economy (CE) concept.

The development of second-life strategies for CFRP composites (second- or third-generation materials) using production processes based on thermoplastic fibre-reinforced composites will further reduce the consumption of natural resources and the amount of generated waste.

The project will result in innovative composite materials aligned with the principles of the Circular Economy, as well as the development of processing technologies enabling repeated recovery of key components.
It will contribute to the creation of new material models and environmentally friendly recycling strategies for TP-CFRP structures.