Dr Ali Hadigheh holding waste material from an aircraft. Image: Stefanie Zingsheim, University of Sydney.
It’s estimated that by 2030 carbon and glass fibre composites (CFRP), materials commonly used in wind turbine blades, hydrogen tanks, airplanes, yachts, construction, and car manufacturing, will be a key waste stream worldwide.
The annual accumulation of CFRP waste from aircraft and wind turbine industries alone is projected to reach 840,300 tonnes by 2050 – the equivalent of 34 full stadiums – if suitable recycling methods are not adopted.
While recycling methods do exist, most of this waste currently goes to landfill or is incinerated. The production of “virgin” composites has further implications for the environment too, including resource depletion and high energy input during production.
This is despite the existence of numerous methods to recycle carbon fibre composites which a research team at the University of Sydney says, if fully implemented, have the potential to significantly reduce energy use by 70 percent and prevent key streams of materials from going to waste.
“Carbon fibre composites are considered a ‘wonder’ material – they are durable, resistant to weathering and highly versatile – so much so that their use is projected to increase by at least 60 percent in the next decade alone,” said Dr Hadigheh from the School of Civil Engineering. “But this huge growth also brings a huge increase in waste. For instance, it's been estimated that around 500,000 tonnes of carbon and glass fibre composite waste from the renewable energy sector will exist by 2030.”
