Case Study 1

US20050110199A1

Title: Process for recycling waste FRP.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for recycling waste FRP which can simply and effectively reuse waste FRP. This process reuses waste FRP by mixing, melting, and molding mixture (8), which contains wood-derived cellulose fine powder (3), resin-derived resin powder (7), and waste FRP (4)-derived EPR powder (5), into a given form to make the molded resin product. The product contains 10-65% by weight of cellulose fine powder (3), 25-40% by weight of resin powder (7), and 10-30% by weight of EPR powder (5) on the basis of mixture (8).

Assignee: Misawa Homes Co Ltd.

Inventor: Masayuki Kamite | Masami Kato.

Application Date: 2004-09-10

Problem

Bath places, bath tubs, and water-proof vessels, etc. in a bathroom usually use fiber-reinforced plastics (abbreviated as FRP hereinafter) as molding materials. However, such molded products are difficult to be broken down or burned off when they become wastes. The treatment of these wastes becomes a social problem, and therefore processes for effective recycle use of waste FRP are being searched for in recent years.

Solution

The object of the present invention is to provide a process for recycling waste FRP simply and effectively.

This process reuses waste FRP by mixing, melting, and molding mixture (8), which contains wood-derived cellulose fine powder (3), resin-derived resin powder (7), and waste FRP (4)-derived EPR powder (5), into a given form to make the molded resin product. The product contains 10-65% by weight of cellulose fine powder (3), 25-40% by weight of resin powder (7), and 10-30% by weight of EPR powder (5) on the basis of mixture (8).

Summary

The invention discloses a process for recycling waste FRP, characterized in that the process for recycling waste FRP, which reuses waste FRP by mixing, melting, molding a mixture, which contains wood-derived cellulose fine powder, resin-derived resin powder, and waste FRP-derived FPR powder, into a given form to prepare a molded resin product; the product contains 10-65% by weight of said cellulose fine powder, 25-40% by weight of said resin powder, and 10-30% by weight of said FPR powder on the basis of the mixture. In the process for recycling waste FRP 4, the surface of the molded resin product is treated by flame for oxidation after treatment with silane. The use of the invention can enhance the bonding property of the surface of the molded resin product and thereby improve the quality of finishing processing in the following procedures of printing wood grain patterns and coat-decorating.

 

Case Study 2

CN103665427B

Title: Method for recovering carbon fiber by cracking waste carbon fiber composite material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for recovering carbon fiber by cracking a waste carbon fiber composite material, which comprises the following steps: (1) putting a waste carbon fiber composite material into the furnace cavity of a cracking device, fastening the furnace door, and introducing nitrogen gas for several minutes until air in the furnace cavity is completely discharged to form an oxygen-free inert environment; (2) heating the material in the furnace cavity to 350-900 DEG C, keeping for 0.5-5.0 hours, and blowing out the furnace to naturally cool the material in the furnace cavity, wherein the resin is subjected to thermal cracking reaction in the furnace cavity; and (3) opening the cooled furnace cavity, and taking out the product. Compared with the prior art, the carbon fiber obtained by the invention is beneficial to subsequent cutoff or pulverizing processing, and can be easily dispersed into single fiber after processing. According to the invention, the obtained carbon fiber is high in recovery rate and low in performance reduction degree; and the operating process is simple and suitable for industrial production.

Assignee: Univ Shanghai Jiaotong.

Inventor: Yang Bin | Yuan Jueliang | Wang Xinling | Liu Yuan | Zhang Yuanyuan.

Application Date: 2013-12-11

Problem

Leftover materials generated in the manufacturing stage or scrap products at the end of the service life, such as carbon fiber reinforced resin composite waste materials, have problems in disposal.

Carbon fiber reinforced resin composite materials can only burn off the resin during combustion, and carbon fiber remains as a residue. Therefore, carbon fiber reinforced resin composite materials are usually treated as non-combustible solid waste and disposed of in landfills.

Landfilling not only causes waste of land resources, but also causes deterioration of the surrounding environment.

In addition, carbon fiber reinforced resin composite materials contain high-value carbon fiber, and the way of landfill will undoubtedly cause a huge waste of carbon fiber resources.

Solution

Method that can effectively separate and recover high-value carbon fibers from waste carbon fiber reinforced resin composite materials, thereby increasing the recovery rate of carbon fibers and reducing the degradation of carbon fiber mechanical properties. A method for pyrolyzing and recovering carbon fibers from waste carbon fiber composite materials, which reduces the cost of the treatment process, and realizes the purposes of resource saving and environmental protection.

Summary

The invention discloses Method for recovering carbon fiber by cracking waste carbon fiber composite material. The method includes the steps of (1) putting a waste carbon fiber composite material into the furnace cavity of a cracking device, fastening the furnace door, and introducing nitrogen gas for several minutes until air in the furnace cavity is completely discharged to form an oxygen-free inert environment; (2) heating the material in the furnace cavity to 350-900 DEG C, keeping for 0.5-5.0 hours, and blowing out the furnace to naturally cool the material in the furnace cavity, wherein the resin is subjected to thermal cracking reaction in the furnace cavity; and (3) opening the cooled furnace cavity, and taking out the product. Compared with the prior art, the carbon fiber obtained by the invention is beneficial to subsequent cutoff or pulverizing processing, and can be easily dispersed into single fiber after processing. According to the invention, the obtained carbon fiber is high in recovery rate and low in performance reduction degree; and the operating process is simple and suitable for industrial production.

Case Study 3

JP2021526168A

Title: Method for recycling epoxy-fiber composites into polyolefins

Abstract: Fiber-reinforced thermoset composites are recycled by forming them into a particulate and combining the particles with a polyolefin to produce a reinforced polyolefin. A functionalized polyolefin is present in the reinforced material. The presence of the functionalized polyolefin leads to a significant increase in the reinforcing efficacy of the thermoset composite particles.

Assignee: Dow global technologies.

Inventor: Perwinder Walia.

Application Date: 2019-05-30

Problem

Fiber reinforced epoxy complexes have been found to be used more and more primarily in transport applications where lighter weight compared to metals offers significant advantages.

These complexes include a fiber reinforced material and a continuous resin phase that wraps the fibers and binds them together into the desired shape. The resin phase is a cured thermosetting resin such as epoxy, vinyl ester, or polyurethane.

When manufacturing these complexes, some scrap and defective parts are produced.

In addition, complex components can be damaged or worn during use, otherwise their useful life can expire. In either case, waste material that needs to be disposed of in some way is generated. It is advantageous to recycle this waste, or at least some of its components, rather than simply disposing of it in a landfill or the like.

Solution

A method for recycling a fiber reinforced epoxy composite, wherein I. The step of forming a fiber-reinforced thermosetting complex into particles having a particle size of up to 10 mm, and II.

The particles from step I were heat-softened with a defunctionalized thermoplastic polyolefin resin and a functionalized thermoplastic polyolefin resin, 30-90% by weight of the non-functionalized thermoplastic polyolefin resin, 10-60% by weight of the particles, and 1 Heat-softened defunctionalized heat in which the particles are dispersed in a weight ratio of ~ 50% by weight of the functionalized thermoplastic polyolefin resin and in which the functionalized thermoplastic polyolefin resin is dispersed or dissolved. Steps of Forming a Filled Polyolefin Resin Containing a Flexible Polyolefin Resin, III. A method comprising cooling the filled polyolefin resin from step II to solidify the filled polyolefin resin.

Summary

The present invention makes it possible to recycle as much as 100% by weight of fiber reinforced thermosetting complexes to produce complexes with highly desirable mechanical properties. Unlike previous attempts to use crushed thermosetting composites as polyolefin fillers, the filled polyolefins of the present invention have tensile strength and elasticity as compared to the absence of functionalized thermoplastics. It was found that they often exhibit a large and unexpected increase in rates. In other cases, toughness and / or impact strength is increased while maintaining or increasing tensile strength and modulus. The presence of the functionalized thermoplastic polyolefin allows the fiber-reinforced thermosetting composite particles to function as an efficient filler.

 

Case Study 4

JP2019529177A

Title: Method and apparatus for recycling thermoplastic fiber composites.

Abstract: In a method and a device for recycling a thermoplastic fibre-reinforced composite material, which is in at least one deposition layer in a component (1), it is suggested that said fibre-reinforced composite material should be pulled off from the remaining component (1), in the direction of a main fibre direction, in at least one pull-off layer (10) comprising fibres and matrix material.

Assignee: Fraunhofer.

Inventor: Henning Jensen.

Application Date: 2017-09-19

Problem

The purpose is to obtain a recycled starting material in which a carbon fiber bundle portion surrounded by a matrix material is present. Recycled starting materials are subject to thermal decomposition or carbonization of the matrix material. Again, carbon fiber is unable to retain its original length.

Solution

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for recycling a thermoplastic fiber composite material arranged in at least one adherend layer (Ablage-Schicht) in a constituent member.

The recycling process is the reverse of the manufacturing process for many processes for manufacturing a component having a fiber composite material, that is, the step of coating the fiber composite material in layers (dem schichtweisen Auftragen). It can be regarded as the reverse of the process of joining layers (dem Verbinden) (Umkehrung). Delamination of the fibrous composite can be carried out to form a single, consistent piece of recycled material. It is also possible to initiate the peeling of the peeling layer multiple times in the same constituent member, whereby a large number of recycled pieces can be formed from one constituent member. One recycled piece can have a length of a few centimeters to a few kilometers, for example 10 km.

Summary

The method according to the present invention can also be carried out so that the fiber composite material is peeled into a tape shape. The tape-shaped release layer has the advantage that the removed fiber composite material can be easily collected on the storage element, especially on the storage roller. If the original fiber composite material is already supplied in tape form and aufgetragen is attached to manufacture the components, the exfoliated material should at least almost correspond to the original tape material (entspricht). Ideally, the collected tape-shaped material can be immediately reused to manufacture new components.

 

Case Study 5

CN111363197A

Title: Method for recovering thermosetting fiber composite material by supercritical fluid.

Abstract: The invention aims to provide a method for recycling a thermosetting fiber composite material by a supercritical fluid. According to the method, the fiber recovery rate is obviously increased, the fiber performance is better preserved, resource consumption is reduced, secondary pollution is avoided, near-zero emission of the whole system is achieved, reaction conditions are reduced, reaction is easy to control, solid, liquid and gas products obtained after reaction are collected and can be reused, and harmless treatment of waste and high-valued recycling of the material are achieved. The method for recovering the thermosetting fiber composite material by the supercritical fluid comprises the following steps: crushing wastes prepared from the thermosetting fiber composite material into particles to obtain thermosetting fiber composite material particles; adding the thermosetting fiber composite material particles into a supercritical fluid reactor; opening an exhaust hole in the top of the supercritical fluid reactor, and inputting carbon dioxide from the lower part of the supercritical fluid reactor until the supercritical fluid reactor is filled with carbon dioxide; and adding ethanol, n-propanol or n-butanol into the supercritical fluid reactor.

Assignee: Thermal Power Generation Technology Research Institute China Datang Corporation Science and Technology Research Institute Co Ltd.

Inventor: Yin Aiming | Wang Han | Zhang Meng | Wang Haigang | Jin Xuliang | Cao Fan | Xu Wenqiang | Dong Lei | Jia Jia | Yang Chao.

Application Date: 2018-08-06

Problem

Thermosetting fiber composite materials represented by wind turbine blades will undergo an irreversible chemical cross-linking reaction during the heating and curing process, allowing the formation of chemical bonds between the molecular chains of the thermosetting fiber composite materials, forming a three-dimensional network structure, making The resin has stable properties, is not easy to decompose, and cannot be melted or reshaped again. Therefore, it is difficult to realize recycling.

Prior to the super/subcritical fluid dissolution method, the dissolution separation and recovery process was complicated, and strong oxidizing and strong corrosive solvents were mostly used, which had a greater impact on the environment.

As a new type of recycling method, super/subcritical fluid technology has the advantages of clean and pollution-free recycling process, clean surface of regenerated fiber, and excellent performance. However, the application conditions of this technology are more stringent. Current research mostly uses supercritical water as a solvent. The reaction temperature is high, the pressure is strong, and the operating conditions are strict.

Solution

The beneficial effects of the present invention are: The beneficial effects of the present invention are: the present invention uses the flying dust collected in the silicon-chromium alloy submerged arc furnace production process as a binder for cold pressing and agglomeration of the fine ore, which solves the problem of environmentally friendly ash accumulation in the factory. The productivity is improved, the product cost is reduced, and the process is simple, which not only solves the resource problem, but also meets the production requirements. The high-carbon ferrochromium product of the present invention has low cost, is easy to obtain, and has excellent quality and performance.

Summary

The method for recovering thermosetting fiber composite material with supercritical fluid of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: A. Crush the waste products made of thermosetting fiber composite material into particles to obtain thermosetting fiber composite material particles; B. Add the thermosetting fiber composite material particles obtained in step A to the supercritical fluid reactor; C. Open the vent on the top of the supercritical fluid reactor, and input carbon dioxide from the lower part of the supercritical fluid reactor until the supercritical fluid reactor is full of carbon dioxide; D. Add ethanol, n-propanol or n-butanol to the supercritical fluid reactor, so that the thermosetting fiber composite particles in the supercritical fluid reactor are immersed in ethanol, n-propanol or n-butanol; E. Heat the temperature of the thermosetting fiber composite material particles in the supercritical fluid reactor to 280℃—350℃, increase the pressure in the supercritical fluid reactor to 7Mpa—10Mpa, and keep the temperature for 60min—100min. Under the combined action of propanol or n-butanol, the epoxy resin and unsaturated polyester resin in the thermosetting fiber composite material particles are swelled, and the resin in the thermosetting fiber composite material particles is decomposed; F. Separation and recovery of carbon dioxide, gaseous and liquid organics in the supercritical fluid reactor. Gaseous and liquid organics include benzene, benzene derivatives, phenol and its phenol derivatives; G. Sweep down from the upper part of the supercritical fluid reactor to remove the glass fibers and/or carbon fibers adhering to the inner wall of the supercritical fluid reactor, and remove the glass fibers and/or carbon fibers from the supercritical fluid reactor. The lower part is discharged and recycled.

Case Study 6

CN111333905A

Title: Recovery method of fiber reinforced composite material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a recovery method of a fiber reinforced composite material. The method comprises: (1), mixing a fiber reinforced composite material and acid, performing heating, and carryingout solid-liquid separation to obtain a modified fiber and a filtrate; and (2), carbonizing the filtrate obtained in the step (1) to obtain a carbon material. Resin of the fiber composite material is dissolved through microwave-enhanced acid and the fiber surface is subjected to chemical oxidation treatment, so that the resin material is dissolved in a sulfuric acid solution, and thus the fiber and the resin material are separated to obtain the fiber material. According to the method, full resource recycling of the fibers and the resin material is achieved through microwaves under the action of biomass or the catalyst, and the recycling energy consumption is greatly reduced through the low reaction temperature; and the method is short in route, easy to operate, low in energy consumption and wide in application range and has great economic benefits and environmental benefits.

Assignee: Institute of Process Engineering of CAS | Langfang Institute of Process Engineering of CAS.

Inventor: Zhou Zhimao | Li Shifei | Zhang Suojiang | Xu Fei.

Application Date: 2010-12-01

Problem

The recovery methods of waste FRP mainly include physical recovery, energy recovery and chemical recovery. However, the existing fiber composite material recycling has problems such as high energy consumption, low resin degradation rate, harsh reaction conditions, and complex processes.

Solution

In view of the problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for recycling fiber-reinforced composite materials, which realizes the full resource recycling of fibers and resin materials, and the lower reaction temperature greatly reduces Energy consumption is recovered. The method has short route, simple operation, low energy consumption, wide application range, and has significant economic and environmental benefits.

Summary

The invention discloses a method for recycling fiber-reinforced composite materials, which realizes the full resource recycling of fibers and resin materials, and the lower reaction temperature greatly reduces Energy consumption is recovered. The method has short route, simple operation, low energy consumption, wide application range, and has significant economic and environmental benefits. In the present invention, the resin of the fiber composite material is heated and dissolved by acid and the fiber surface is chemically oxidized to dissolve the resin material in the acid solution to separate the fiber and the resin material to obtain the fiber material. In the present invention, the increase in the heating temperature and the extension of the time are beneficial to the dissolution of the resin, and also promote the oxidation reaction of the fiber and sulfuric acid, and the microwave can further strengthen the dissolution of the resin and the oxidation process of the fiber, and reduce the processing time.

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Related Resources:

Recycling of Composite Materials: Overview and Types

Recycling of Composite Materials: Tech Insights & Key Players