Matthew Keith
MEng – Chemical Engineering , University of Birmingham, 2015.
PhD Researcher
Sponsor: EPSRC
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
PhD Project Background
Carbon fibre reinforced composite materials offer many improved properties compared to more conventional materials, for example, the tensile strength to weight ratio may be up to 13 and 6 times that of steel and aluminium respectively.
However, unlike steel and aluminium, composite materials are currently difficult to recycle which poses a problem for both manufacturing waste and end-of-life products. Currently, the only commercialised process is based on pyrolysis. Here, the composite material is burned, removing the plastic resin holding the fibres together. Although this allows fibres to be recovered and re-used, it results in the loss of the resin and causes a large amount of toxic emissions.
The aim of this PhD project is to develop a novel recycling process based on solvolytic technology. Here, the resin is dissolved in a solvent allowing clean fibres and useful organic compounds to be recovered. This means more of the material will be saved and the lower temperatures involved result in a lower energy demand, cost and environmental impact.