Toray rCF nonwoven fabrics demonstrate CFRP recycling tech
Toray Industries process decomposes thermoset CFRP at low temperatures, yielding rCF that retain over 95% of virgin fiber strength, cuts CO₂ emissions by more than half, suppresses thermal damage and better controls resin residue.
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Source | Toray Industries Inc.
Toray Industries Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) has announced the development of a recycling technology that can decompose diverse carbon fiber-reinforced
plastics (CFRP) made from thermoset resins while retaining the strength and surface quality of those fibers. The company drew on this technology to create a recycled carbon fiber (rCF) nonwoven fabric.
Toray has begun providing prototype samples to customers, with the goal of using the rCF nonwoven fabric materials for diverse performance- and decorative-driven applications, such as automobiles, construction, electrical and electronics, and daily necessities. The company will push ahead with technical assessments matching customer needs.
Chemical recycling as a reducing agent in steel furnaces, is gaining traction for recycling CFRP. Technologies are also emerging that pyrolize CFRP waste at high temperatures to recover and reuse fibers, particularly for injection molding applications (read “Trends fueling the composites recycling movement”). To broaden the latter’s reuse, Toray says there is a need for technology that can suppress the thermal damage to rCF (occurs when exposing carbon fibers to high temperatures or oxidization during pyrolysis) and to control resin residue left on the surface of rCF during separation.
Toray applied its accumulated expertise in organic synthesis and polymer polymerization to innovate a decomposition agent that breaks down degradation-resistant, 3D-cross-linked thermoset resins at lower temperatures than conventional methods. The company used this agent to decompose CFRP waste from aircraft, wind turbines, automobiles and other sources. The rCF achieved from this process retains more than 95% of the single-fiber tensile strength of petroleum-derived virgin carbon fiber. Toray expects the technology’s CO2 emissions to be less than half of those from manufacturing virgin carbon fiber.
Additionally, Toray reports that rCF from this technology is stronger than conventional counterparts and minimizes fiber breakage in postprocessing. Its low resin residue and high surface quality enables processing for more diverse applications. In particular, efforts to disperse short fibers and process them into sheet form nonwoven fabrics have been successful. RCFs exhibit controllable water dispersibility, enabling the fabrication of uniform nonwoven structures as well as those with distinctive texture reminiscent of washi (traditional Japanese paper). This fabric combines the functionality of carbon fiber, including radio frequency shielding and thermal conductivity, with the aesthetic appeal of washi. Toray aims to expand applications for this new material across many industries.
The rCF nonwoven was featured in interior and exterior components of Mazda Motor Corp.’s concept car shown at Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo.
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