Recycling processes of carbon fibers reinforced thermoset composites

The increasing use of carbon fibers reinforced polymers (CFRP) generates an increasing amount of waste, comprising end-of-life (EOL) prepregs, manufacturing cut-offs, testing materials, production tools and EOL components

Full recycling of the composite materials requires reclaiming fibers and matrices which are suitable for remanufacturing in new composites. There are several methods for recycling CFRP and the processes can be classified, depending on the main method used to break down the waste, as: mechanical process, pyrolysis, fluidized bed process and chemical process