According to Composites UK’s FRP Circular Economy Study (August 2018), around 6,200 tonnes of glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) production waste and potentially 75,000 tonnes of GRP end of life waste are generated in the UK each year. There are also at least 11,000 tonnes of E-glass fibre waste from earlier stages of the supply chain. In addition, it is estimated that there may be around 1,600 tonnes of carbon fibre/carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) production waste generated annually, and while there is relatively little carbon fibre end of life waste at present significant volumes are expected to join the waste stream soon.
Currently, end of life strategies for fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are limited and composite materials, products and components are seldom designed to facilitate disassembly, reuse or recycling at end of life. Today, landfill and incineration remain the most widely used methods of dealing with composites waste and very little is recycled or repurposed. However, as the composites market continues to grow globally across numerous industry sectors, it is imperative that efficient and cost-effective solutions are in place for composite production and end of life waste, as Lucy Eggleston, Sustainability Research Engineer at the NCC and leader of the ReDisCoveR project, explains.
“Studies estimate that 12,000 commercial aircraft are due to reach the end of their useful life in the next two decades, and globally approximately six million cars are scrapped each year. One of the world’s first offshore wind sites, Vindeby, was dismantled in 2017. The inherent value in disassembly of structures for reclamation, resale and recycling within all sectors, coupled with increasingly stringent end of life requirements imposed by legislation, means that these waste streams cannot simply be decommissioned and forgotten about.”
ReDisCoveR will aim to solve issues facing current composites waste at end of life as well as develop new materials that make disposal of waste easier. To date, the project team has engaged with more than 45 members of the supply chain, including Ford, ELG Carbon Fibre, Scott Bader, the University of Nottingham, SHD Composites, Veolia, Suez and BP, to determine the current landscape, the perceived gaps, and the largest value opportunities. These opportunities have been grouped into four areas of work – Recycling; Disassembly; Circular materials; and Re-use. Following input from industry, a series of challenge areas have been identified for further development into project plans and bids.
“These innovative solutions could help to not only reclaim greater value from composites waste but could also solve other issues facing the supply chain,” explains Eggleston. “For example, recycling ‘flying factories’ could provide portable, closed processes that protect IP-sensitive assemblies and can be mobilised to wherever they are needed.”
Other ReDisCoveR topics address how to develop recycling technologies that look at reclaiming the value from the resin, how composites consumables waste can be recycled, development of alternative thermoset and thermoplastic resins which enable easier end of life processing, development of valuable markets for recycled components, new methods for disassembly of large structures to enable recycling of materials, and secondary re-use applications for composite structures.
“The next steps for the project will include identification of influential consortia, derivation of project plans, bid writing and engagement with potential funding streams, although we have already been doing these activities on some level,” Eggleston concludes. “The ideal outcome would be the creation of industry, government and academic partnerships to deliver whole supply chain and societal change.”
For further information about ReDisCoveR and the November event please contact Lucy Eggleston: Lucy.Eggleston@nccuk.com
