VATIS UPDATE Article

A team of researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, has developed a new technology and equipment for recycling carbon fiber composite waste material. Carbon fiber is often described as “the king of new materials” and is mostly used in the manufacture of spacecraft, aircraft, communication satellites and other cutting-edge technologies. It is also widely used in cars, bicycles, tennis rackets and fishing rods. The team has discovered a method to accomplish exactly that.

The team developed a technology that allows the material waste to be processed in large chunks, without the need to cut or grind them into small pieces. The result is generated carbon fiber that is longer. The technology can be undertaken on a large-scale operation, with annual processing capacity exceeding more than 200 tons. Earlier, only three companies in Germany, Japan and the United States had an industrialized technology for recycling carbon fiber composite waste material.