How the Composites Industry Is Improving FRP Recycling

The composites industry is actively addressing the recycling challenges of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials, driven by growing waste volumes, environmental regulations, and the need for a circular economy. With FRP usage surging in construction, aerospace, automotive, and wind energy, the industry generates significant waste from end-of-life products and manufacturing offcuts. Below are key ways the industry is improving FRP recycling, with a focus on innovations and strategies relevant to products like manhole covers.

1. Advancements in Recycling Technologies:

• Mechanical Recycling: The industry has scaled mechanical recycling for GFRP, grinding waste into fillers for concrete or low-grade composites. Research shows GFRP waste can replace 0-20% of sand in concrete, viable for non-structural uses, though high proportions reduce strength.

• Thermal Recycling: Pyrolysis and fluidized bed processes are being refined to recover fibers, particularly carbon fibers, with minimal degradation. Innovations include microwave-assisted pyrolysis, which reduces energy use and improves fiber quality. While more suited for CFRP, these advancements could lower costs for GFRP recycling.

• Chemical Recycling: Solvolysis is gaining traction, with processes like Extracthive’s PHYre® enabling clean fiber recovery at moderate temperatures. Research at Washington State University in 2021 developed recyclable CFRP with near-full tensile strength recovery, offering potential for GFRP applications.

• Cement Kiln Co-processing: Japan’s Cement Kiln Process, recognized at the JEC Asia Innovation Awards, uses GFRP waste as fuel and raw material in cement production, reducing landfill use. This method is scalable but focuses on waste management rather than fiber reuse.

2. Development of Recyclable Resins: The industry is exploring thermoplastic resins, like Elium®, which allow reprocessing due to their meltable nature, unlike thermosets. Thermoplastic FRP could simplify recycling for manhole covers, though adoption is limited by cost and performance trade-offs. Recyclable thermosets with dynamic bonds, such as imine-containing epoxy, enable reprocessing with 90% strength retention, offering a promising alternative.

3. Industry Collaborations and Standards: The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) are developing scalable recycling methods with partners like Owens Corning. In Europe, regulatory pressure to ban non-biodegradable polymer landfilling is driving innovation. Standardized recycling protocols and life cycle assessments (LCAs) are being established to evaluate economic and environmental impacts, ensuring viable solutions.

4. Applications for Recycled FRP: The industry is finding new uses for recycled FRP, such as in concrete, asphalt, and low-cost composites, increasing demand for recyclates. Repurposing FRP waste, like wind turbine blades, into structural components also enhances circularity.

5. Market and Policy Support: Growing demand for sustainable materials in construction and transportation is fueling investment in FRP recycling. Government regulations, particularly in Europe, are incentivizing recycling over landfilling, while market players like Gen 2 Carbon and Vartega Inc. are commercializing advanced recycling technologies.