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Worldwide production of carbon fibres is projected to reach 140 000 tonnes early
this decade, a huge jump from the 20 000 tonnes recorded at the start of the mil-
lennium. But Covid-19 has hit the sector. What does that mean for recyclers?
The mats are made from recycled car-
bon fibres mixed with thermoplastic
fibre. A variety of thermoplastics can
be used, such as polypropylene, poly-
amide and polyphenylene sulfide, with
average carbon fibre content between
25% and 40%. The tensile strength of
recycled fibres is reduced by only
about 10% when compared to virgin
fibres.
HigH class materials
Barnes reveals that ELG has recently
joined forces with Belgian firm
Aerocircular NV to establish a closed-
loop recycling scheme for carbon fibre
waste streams from end-of-life aircraft.
The two companies have signed a
memorandum of understanding to
demonstrate their mutual commit-
ment towards this initiative.
‘Today, composite carbon fibre frac-
tions are typically shredded and then
burned or landfilled,’ says Koen Staut,
ceo of Aerocircular. The collaboration
with ELG should realise a ‘robust’ and
economically viable recycling flow on
an industrial scale. Every tonne of car-
Most of the material processed by
recyclers in the growing carbon fibre
niche comes from aircraft, automotive
components and wind turbines.
However, new aircraft deliveries and
wind energy installations are down
significantly this year because of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
In the first quarter of 2020, Airbus and
Boeing delivered 122 and 50 commer-
cial aircraft respectively, which is 22%
and 66% down on the same period in
2019. The biggest challenge for the
aerospace industry is to ensure undis-
rupted financial cash flow to avoid the
liquidity crunch.
recovering growtH
Currently recyclers face reduced
demand and low inventories but ana-
lysts at Research & Markets expect
the global market for carbon fibre to
recover towards the end of 2021.
They believe the carbon fibre rein-
forced plastics market will grow from
US$ 17.5 billion (EUR 14.8 billion) in
2020 to US$ 31.5 billion by 2025, a
compound annual growth rate of
12.5%.
A surge in the carbon fibre recycling
market is also predicted to shadow
this trend and analysts believe the
industry will be worth US$ 193 million
by 2025, 12% higher than this year’s
US$ 109 million. A pioneer in the sec-
tor is the UK-based ELG Carbon Fibre.
Managing director Frazer Barnes says
there is still strong interest for the
recycled lightweight materials in the
company’s portfolio and he foresees a
return to double-digit growth once
the coronavirus lockdown situation
eases.
continuous pyrolysis
ELG does business with some of the
biggest names in the industry. One
example is its partnership with
Boeing, dating back several years,
which covers 11 production sites. This
has allowed the aircraft manufacturer
to reduce its waste by more than 450
tonnes per year. Though it’s been a
rocky year for the sector as a whole,
long-standing partnerships such as
this have helped the recycler maintain
a sense of normalcy in its day-to-day
operations.
ELG uses a patented furnace process
called ‘continuous pyrolysis’ to con-
vert the recovered fibres, explains
Barnes. This involves the removal of
resins in a controlled environment at
temperatures ranging from 400-650
degrees Celsius. This process is opti-
mised for different types of feedstock
and results in clean fibres that are
nearly identical to the original fibre,
with all residues removed.
‘The products we have created
include non-woven mats and carbon
fibre pellets,’ says Barnes. ‘This is the
most commercially viable process for
carbon fibre recycling.’
With ELG’s help, a sailboat made with recycled materials will compete in America’s Cup
2021 in New Zealand next March.
ELG and its partner Boeing both observe that despite 2020 having been a challenging year, long-term growth drivers for the global
carbon fibre market remain as well.
a u t h o r Kirstin Linnenkoper
Carbon fibre recyclers
sail in quieter waters
52-53_recycledcontentinautomotiveaviation.indd 52 11-11-20 15:32
