The environmental benefits of using low-weight, high-strength carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) during flight do not continue at end-of-life due to a lack of suitable recycling technologies. EU-funded scientists have provided a solution.
CFRPs are formed, as the name indicates, by reinforcing lightweight plastics with carbon fibres. The resulting composites with their beneficial combination of strength and low weight are now common in numerous applications from aerospace to automotive to consumer electronics and sporting goods.
Further details: Recycling and reuse of carbon fibres