An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications
Carbon fibre (CF) recycling has been demonstrated to achieve reductions in environmental impacts compared to virgin CF production, but there is limited understanding of the financial viability of recycling and reutilisation of recycled CF (rCF). In this work, cost analysis and identification of mark...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2018
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50433/ |
| _version_ | 1848798249658351616 |
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| author | Meng, Fanran McKechnie, Jon Pickering, Steve J. |
| author_facet | Meng, Fanran McKechnie, Jon Pickering, Steve J. |
| author_sort | Meng, Fanran |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Carbon fibre (CF) recycling has been demonstrated to achieve reductions in environmental impacts compared to virgin CF production, but there is limited understanding of the financial viability of recycling and reutilisation of recycled CF (rCF). In this work, cost analysis and identification of market opportunities for rCF are performed by evaluating the cost of recycling, composite manufacture, and applications in automotive industry. Cost impacts of using rCF as a substitute for conventional materials and competitor lightweight materials are assessed over the full life cycle, including in-use implications. Recovery of CF can be achieved at $5/kg and less across a wide range of process parameters, approximately 15% of the cost of producing virgin carbon fibre. The life cycle cost results show that rCF composites, especially aligned rCF composites, give substantial cost reductions relative to virgin CF composites and even steel and aluminium. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:16:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-50433 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:16:46Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-504332020-05-04T19:50:57Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50433/ An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications Meng, Fanran McKechnie, Jon Pickering, Steve J. Carbon fibre (CF) recycling has been demonstrated to achieve reductions in environmental impacts compared to virgin CF production, but there is limited understanding of the financial viability of recycling and reutilisation of recycled CF (rCF). In this work, cost analysis and identification of market opportunities for rCF are performed by evaluating the cost of recycling, composite manufacture, and applications in automotive industry. Cost impacts of using rCF as a substitute for conventional materials and competitor lightweight materials are assessed over the full life cycle, including in-use implications. Recovery of CF can be achieved at $5/kg and less across a wide range of process parameters, approximately 15% of the cost of producing virgin carbon fibre. The life cycle cost results show that rCF composites, especially aligned rCF composites, give substantial cost reductions relative to virgin CF composites and even steel and aluminium. Elsevier 2018-06 Article PeerReviewed Meng, Fanran, McKechnie, Jon and Pickering, Steve J. (2018) An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 109 . pp. 207-220. ISSN 1359-835X carbon fibre recycling; life cycle cost analysis; fluidised bed; lightweighting https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359835X18301052 doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2018.03.011 doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2018.03.011 |
| spellingShingle | carbon fibre recycling; life cycle cost analysis; fluidised bed; lightweighting Meng, Fanran McKechnie, Jon Pickering, Steve J. An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications |
| title | An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications |
| title_full | An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications |
| title_fullStr | An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications |
| title_short | An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications |
| title_sort | assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications |
| topic | carbon fibre recycling; life cycle cost analysis; fluidised bed; lightweighting |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50433/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50433/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50433/ |