Upgrading and reuse of glass fibre recycled from end-of-life composites

Thomason, James; Yang, Liu; Pender, K.R.

doi:10.1088/1757-899x/942/1/012002

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Given that the demand for glass fibre in BMC/SMC production is saturated at relatively low recycling rates, additional applications for rGF must be identified; otherwise, the FBR is not an environmentally sustainable option for all UK GRP waste. The loss in tensile strength [57] and discontinuous, non-aligned, and "fluffy" architecture of fluidised bed rGF [19] will certainly restrict the route to market of these as reinforcement materials, potentially limiting their use to lower grade composite components with lesser market value. Recent advances have been made in rGF regeneration, showing significant improvements in strength and surface functionality can be achieved [15], which would likely diversify the applications available to these materials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glass Fibre Composites Recycling Using the Fluidised Bed: A Comparative Study into the Carbon Footprint in the UK

Pender,

Yang

2024

Sustainability

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The UK has no established process for recycling waste glass fibre-reinforced thermosets that are widely used within wind blade structures. Consequently, these materials are typically disposed of in landfills or undergo energy recovery in waste facilities. This study investigates the carbon footprint of the fluidised bed process for recycling glass fibre composite waste, considering the present and future scenarios of composite waste management in the UK. The impact was compared to conventional disposal routes and other prominent recycling technologies, such as cement kiln co-processing and mechanical recycling, by developing energy and material flow models for each waste treatment strategy. Variables, such as the type of waste, the quantity of recycling facilities in the UK, and waste haulage distance, were examined to inform the lowest impact deployment of recycling technologies. Cement kiln co-processing, mechanical, and fluidised bed recycling technologies reduced the global warming potential of processing wind blade waste compared with conventional disposal routes, with impacts of −0.25, −1.25, and −0.57 kg CO2e/kg GRP waste, respectively. Mechanical recycling had the lowest global warming potential resulting from low greenhouse gas emissions associated with the process itself and potentially high offsets by replacing glass fibre in the production of moulding compound. Composite wind turbine blade waste was found to be a particularly promising feedstock for the fluidised bed process due to relatively low resin content diminishing direct greenhouse gas emissions during thermal decomposition, as well as high material recovery offsets due to the high glass fibre content of this waste stream.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glass Fibre Composites Recycling Using the Fluidised Bed: A Comparative Study into the Carbon Footprint in the UK

Pender,

Yang

2024

Sustainability

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“…Pyrolysis tech-niques can produce chemicals derived from the matrix as potential feedstock for future polymers. Thermal removal of the matrix severely degrades glass fibre strengths, although Thomason et al [103] have demonstrated that short hot alkali treatment of recycled glass fibres can restore their ability to act as an effective reinforcement in second life composite materials.…”

Section: Life Cycle Assessment (Lca) and End-of-life (Eol) Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 99%

The 100 m Composite Ship?

Lowde

Peters

Geraghty

et al. 2022

JMSE

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Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) matrix composites are widely used in large marine structures, and in wind turbines where blade lengths are now over 100 m. Composites are the material of choice for small vessels due to ease of manufacture, high hull girder stiffness, buckling resistance, corrosion resistance and underwater shock resistance. Ships over 100 m are still built using traditional steel and/or aluminium, but so far not FRP. Composite ship lengths have increased over the past 50 years, but fundamental technical challenges remain for the 100 m composite ship. Preliminary studies suggest a possible 30% saving in structural weight, a 7–21% reduction in full load displacement, and a cost saving of 15%. However, economic considerations, design codes, manufacturing limits, safety and end of life scenarios need to be addressed before a 100 m ship is built. Innovative materials and structures, notably carbon fibre composite skinned sandwich construction, or aramid fibres with vinylester modified epoxy resin, should result in increased mechanical performance and consequent improvements in economics and manufacturing processes. A linear extrapolation of length vs. launch dates predicts the first 100 m ship would be launched in 2042.

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“…Specifically, it has been reported that energy consumption in the pyrolysis process (30 MJ/kg) is moderate compared to other recycling methods, such as solvolysis or fluidized beds 3 . However, the main drawback of this method is the low quality of fibers obtained, in that a considerable drop in fiber strength–often in the range of 80%–90%–is observed compared to its original state 4 . This poor performance is due to the growth of imperfections and dehydration, which result in recycled glass fibers suffering from brittleness and, consequently, cost competitiveness issues with pristine material.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silane and silazane surface modification of recycled glass fibers for polypropylene composites

Gkaliou

Daugaard

2022

J of Applied Polymer Sci

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Glass fiber (GF) composites are one of the significant challenges in recycling thermoset materials. After pyrolysis, the glass fibers lack sufficient strength and show poor matrix compatibility. Here we have investigated a series of multifunctional silane and silazane agents for surface modification of recycled glass fibers that provide a combination of hydrophobic properties and residual reactive groups on the surface. This allowed testing of interfacial effects from the surface modification as well as a potential synergistic compatibilization using maleated PP (MAPP). The treated GFs were used to prepare new polypropylene (PP) composites by multiple extrusion steps, resulting in a series of composites where the dispersion efficiency was attributed mainly to the surface chemistry and compatibilization effects. The amino-silane modifications of the recycled fibers resulted in further improvements in the mechanical properties of the PP composites in comparison with the hydrophobized GFs. Moreover, synergistic effects from the addition of MAPP were observed with scanning electron microscopy. The results clearly demonstrate that the surface modifications were effective and good alternatives to currently used methods.

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Upgrading and reuse of glass fibre recycled from end-of-life composites

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

Glass Fibre Composites Recycling Using the Fluidised Bed: A Comparative Study into the Carbon Footprint in the UK

Glass Fibre Composites Recycling Using the Fluidised Bed: A Comparative Study into the Carbon Footprint in the UK

The 100 m Composite Ship?

Silane and silazane surface modification of recycled glass fibers for polypropylene composites

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