Secondary Raw Materials from Residual Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Composites by An Upgraded Pyrolysis Process
Alexander Lopez-Urionabarrenechea,
Naia Gastelu,
Alberto Jiménez-Suárez,
Silvia G. Prolongo,
Adriana Serras-Malillos,
Esther Acha,
Blanca María Caballero
Affiliations
Alexander Lopez-Urionabarrenechea
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Naia Gastelu
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Alberto Jiménez-Suárez
Materials Science and Engineering Area, ESCET, University Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
Silvia G. Prolongo
Materials Science and Engineering Area, ESCET, University Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
Adriana Serras-Malillos
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Esther Acha
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Blanca María Caballero
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plaza Ingeniero Torres Quevedo 1, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
This paper presents a process where carbon fibers and hydrogen can be recovered simultaneously through a two-stage thermal treatment of an epoxy-carbon fiber composite. For this purpose, some pieces of epoxy resin reinforced with carbon fiber fabrics have been fabricated and, after curing, have been pyrolyzed in an installation consisting of two reactors. In the first one, the thermal decomposition of the resin takes place, and in the second one, the gases and vapors coming from the first reactor are thermally treated. Once this process is completed, the solid generated is oxidized with air to eliminate the resin residues and carbonaceous products from the fibers surface. The recovered carbon fiber fabrics have been reused to make new cured parts and their electrical and mechanical properties have been measured. The results show that it is possible to obtain carbon fiber fabrics that can be processed as they leave the recycling process and that retain 80% of the tensile modulus, 70% of the flexural strength, and 50% of the interlaminar shear strength. At the same time, a gaseous stream with more than 66% by volume of hydrogen can be obtained, reaching a maximum of 81.7%.
