ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Recycling of carbon fiber with epoxy composites by chemical recycling for future perspective: a review

Sudheer Kumar and Sukhila Krishnan

School for Advanced Research in Polymers (SARP), Laboratory for Advanced Research in Polymeric Materials (LARPM), Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Bhubaneswar, India

E-mail: sudheerkumar.211@gmail.com

Received: 17 January 2020  Accepted: 15 May 2020

Abstract:

This review intends on chemical recycling of the carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites (CFREPs) for future applications. Many recycling methods were investigated such as chemical, solvolysis, glycolysis and hydrolysis. Mechanical recycling produces poor-quality carbon fibers (CFs) which exhibits short length and lower tensile modulus, whereas thermal recycling process, especially pyrolysis, gives fibers with char formation on the surface. Among them, the most promising is chemical recycling, as CFs can be recycled from CFREPs very easily and in most environmentally favorable conditions. Additionally, recent approach of chemical recycling with supercritical fluids in which no mechanical degradation occurs was also reviewed. It comes under green reaction media as they are easily available, less expensive, less toxic, soluble in different organic and inorganic compounds, and distillation process can be introduced to recycle afterward also. An economical approach of chemically recycling thermoset epoxy resin is also considered. Various greener approach methods of chemical recycling and its advantages over various other recycling processes were discussed in details, and finally structural and nonstructural applications of recycled carbon fibers are discussed.

Keywords: Chemical recycling; Carbon fiber; Composites; Supercritical fluids

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-020-01198-y

Chemical Papers 74 (11) 3785–3807 (2020)