"DEREMCO's objective is the recovery and reuse of composite materials at the end of their useful life"
New continuous process for the transformation of composite waste into recycled fibre semi-finished products
A new technological breakthrough in the recycling of composite materials has led to the development of a continuous process capable of recovering recycled fibres from complex waste, facilitating their reuse in the plastics and composites industry.
The technology is based on the controlled application of coatings and sizing on recycled staple fibres, which restores their compatibility with polymeric matrices, improves their handling and optimises the final properties of the composite materials obtained. The result is a semi-finished product in felt format, which can be easily integrated into standard industrial processes.
This development is part of the European DEREMCO Project (GA No. 101084037), an initiative aimed at fostering innovative solutions for the recovery and reuse of composite materials at the end of their useful life, promoting industrial models based on the circular economy.
- The project has designed and validated a pilot plant capable of applying a new coating to recycled fibres obtained by pyrolytic or non-selective chemical recycling processes. In these treatments, the fibres often lose their original sizing, which reduces their compatibility with polymers and makes them difficult to handle in industrial applications.
- The new process restores these functionalities in a simple, efficient and low-cost way.
- In addition to the application of the coating, the system can organise the recycled fibres in felt format, significantly improving their handling, storage and further processing. The treated fibres can be used in processes, such as plastic injection or moulding of composite materials.
Main advantages of the process
- Continuous, simple and economically viable process, suitable for industrial scale-up.
- Felt format for improved handling of recycled fibres.
- Optimised application of a small amount of sizing.
- Low and controlled thermoplastic content in the final product.
- Improved mechanical properties of reinforced plastics and composite materials.
- Felt weight adjustable according to the industrial application.
- Compatibility with industrial processes for the transformation of composites and plastics.
This development represents an important step towards circularity in the composite materials industry , in line with the objectives of the DEREMCO Project: transforming complex waste into new raw materials with high added value. Thanks to this type of solution, fibres from sectors such as wind power, transport or aeronautics can be reintroduced into new production cycles.
A practical example of industrial impact
A representative case is the recycling of wind turbine blades or aeronautical components made of glass fibre or carbon fibre. After recycling by thermal or chemical processes, recovered fibres often lose much of their functionality. Using the technology developed in DEREMCO, these fibres can be re-coated and transformed into reusable felts, suitable for the manufacture of composite parts, structural panels or semi-structural components.