Dive Brief:
- Toray Composites has broken ground in Acoma, WA on a multi-million dollar recycling center that will make products out of scrap uncured carbon fiber composite prepreg. Prepreg is a fabric reinforcement that has been "pre-impregnated" with a resin system.
- The added prepreg capacity will support growing demand for carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics from companies including Boeing, which uses Toray's materials in its 777 and 787 primary structures, and will be used on the new 777X wing.
- Plastics News reported that two million pounds of carbon fiber prepreg is discarded each year in Washington, most of it going to landfills, according to Jennifer States, director of business development for the Port of Port Angeles. While new prepreg sells for $65 to $100 a pound, the recycled material should sell for about $45 a pound, which should convince more companies to try it, States said.
Dive Insight:
There's a market for recycled carbon fiber. Last week, computer maker Dell announced that it would begin incorporating the material into its products this year. Additionally, Boeing recycles the excess carbon fiber from 787 Dreamliner production into athletic gear through Russell Brands.
Washington State University has partnered with the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) that broke ground recently in Port Angeles, WA. CRTC will create hundreds of jobs at the plant that will convert carbon fiber composite scrap material into new products. The plant will divert millions of pounds of materials from landfills.
Overall, manufacturing and construction waste needs to be managed efficiently to avoid environmental problems in the industry. Concrete, wood, plastic, and glass can be easily reused and recycled if managed properly. And now there's more opportunity ahead in the carbon fiber composite recycling market.
