Revisiting an ICCM Paper – Continuous Carbon Fiber Recycling at NCCUK
- Ned Patton
- Oct 8
- 5 min read
I mentioned this work in my post just after the ICCM conference and that I had chatted with the author (Dr. Monali Dahale) while I was there. I also mentioned a week or so ago that I had recently been contacted by Dr. Dahale and the leadership of NCC (https://www.nccuk.com/) about the CEAMS (https://ceams.org.uk/ - Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability) cross-consortium collaboration that is supported by NCC. One of their recent successful projects, led by NCC, was by Dr. Dahale where they were able to reclaim continuous carbon fiber from an end-of-life Type III pressure vessel. The reclaimed carbon fiber which they call rCF ended up with mechanical properties that fell between the mechanical properties of Toray T300 and T700 fiber, which makes it could act as a high quality reinforcement for a broad range of medium to high performance applications.
The mechanical properties and processing properties of this continuous fiber rCF are noteworthy in that this is one of the first demonstrations that has been proven to reclaim high performance continuous carbon fiber from any end of life carbon fiber composite parts. Most recyclers start with chopped up carbon fiber parts and remove the resin from them thermally, chemically, or by some other means, but the end result is always short carbon fibers or small pieces of woven carbon fiber fabric.
The aim of this work was to recover continuous carbon fibre from end-of-life Type III tanks while preserving high mechanical properties (stiffness and strength), enabling their reuse in existing composite manufacturing processes and high end applications. The process that NCC used in this demonstration has a registered trademark which they called DEECOM®. This process was developed by industry partners BM Longworth and Cygnet Texkimp and was originally designed to remove waste polymers from filters and production equipment. It works by using compressed superheated steam to penetrate into the composite through microscopic cracks in the resin, where the steam condenses into water. hey apply pressure cycles, and during the decompression phase the water from the steam boils, expanding microscopic cracks and accelerating polymer decomposition. The process happens very rapidly so they pulse the high pressure superheated steam rapidly until all of the resin is removed from the fibers, leaving behind nearly pristine continuous carbon fiber.
The resin that comes off of the carbon fiber composite can be recovered which leads to a potential “second life” for the resin as well. While this process is still in its early stages, we could see a major reduction in carbon emissions and significant strides toward a circular composite economy. This is the first demonstration of a circular solution for recycling the continuous carbon fiber from Type III tanks while retaining the epoxy resin it was married with originally to make the Type III tank to begin with.
The researchers at NCC that demonstrated this process for Type III tanks believe that it could be adapted to things like reclaiming continuous carbon fiber from the spar caps of wind turbine blades and from aged out aircraft where large parts like wing skins are made using unidirectional continuous carbon fiber. What this means is that while the process was originally developed within NCC’s Hydrogen program (or programme if you want to use the UK spelling of the word), it appears to have much broader potential than just end of life Type III tank recycling.
In looking at the NCC website, this project appears to fit well within two of the 11 technology themes that NCC is working in, Circularity and Composite Processes. And it also appears that the CEAMS strategic partnership has firmly established their credibility in these areas, along with some other work that is ongoing in that project aimed at new and sustainable composite materials.
CEAMS itself was put together as a strategic partnership with two major goals. These are to help and support businesses through grants and UK government funding to (1) commercialize sustainable materials (such as sustainable composites) for their industry partners, and (2) develop innovative ideas to make the materials that industry partners use more sustainable. And since it appears that the Hydrogen economy is off to a good start, especially in the long haul transportation business, this appears to be a really good start.
I am going to touch on some of the work that NCC has been doing in composites sustainability over the next few weeks to months since it appears that while they have a fairly good digital presence in the UK, and some in the rest of Europe, what they are doing is not well known outside of Europe. Since it is my opinion that these folks need to not only be supported in the work that they do, they also need more international participation to make their technologies have a global impact on composite materials sustainability. They are already working towards solving what is probably the second highest tonnage use of carbon fiber for the future – Type III tanks, so the next thing to tackle is the highest tonnage carbon fiber waste stream, wind turbine blades. For that they will need the cooperation and partnership with blade manufacturers in the UK, the EU, and in the U.S.
That’s about it for this week’s post. As always, I hope everyone that reads these posts enjoys them as much as I enjoy writing them. I will post this first on my website – www.nedpatton.com – and then on LinkedIn. And if anyone wants to provide comments to this, I welcome them with open arms. Comments, criticisms, etc. are all quite welcome. I really do want to engage in a conversation with all of you about composites because we can learn so much from each other as long as we share our own perspectives. And that is especially true of the companies and research institutions that I mention in these posts. The more we communicate the message the better we will be able to effect the changes in the industry that are needed.
My second book, which may be out in the late fall, is a roadmap to a circular and sustainable business model for the industry which I hope that at least at some level the industry will follow. Only time will tell. At least McFarland announced it in their Fall Catalog. And this time it is under a bit different category – Science and Technology. Maybe it will get noticed – as always that is just a crap shoot.
As I have said before, my publisher and my daughter have come to an agreement about the cover. So, I’ve included the approved cover at the end of this post. Let me know whether or not you like the cover. Hopefully people will like it enough and will be interested enough in composites sustainability that they will buy it. And of course I hope that they read it and get engaged. We need all the help we can get.
Last but not least, I still need to plug my first book. “The String and Glue of our World” pretty much covers the watershed in composites, starting with a brief history of composites, then introducing the Periodic Table and why Carbon is such an important and interesting element. The book was published and made available August of 2023 and is available both on Amazon and from McFarland Books – my publisher. However, the best place to get one is to go to my website and buy one. I will send you a signed copy for the same price you would get charged on Amazon for an unsigned one, except that I have to charge for shipping. Anyway, here’s the link to get your signed copy: https://www.nedpatton.com/product-page/the-string-and-glue-of-our-world-signed-copy. And as usual, here are pictures of the covers of both books.
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