Imagine if we could take old carbon and glass fiber parts—which usually just sit in landfills—and turn them back into high-quality raw materials. Instead of just crushing them into useless dust, this process separates the fibers from the glue so they can be woven into new products. It's like turning an old sweater back into high-quality yarn to knit a new one, rather than just using the scraps as stuffing.
98% of carbon and glass fiber composites end up in landfills due to a lack of viable recycling methods. European manufacturers are also overly dependent on foreign licenses for 80% of virgin fiber production.
Quality control and grading systems for fiber processing, a new resin for glass fiber re-use, and a chemical separation process for carbon fiber. They also produced best-practice sample parts for six industrial domains.
If you are a car parts manufacturer dealing with expensive waste from carbon fiber production—this project developed a way to reuse uncured scrap directly in the production process. This allows you to convert waste into reusable roll material or smaller parts, reducing raw material costs.
If you are an aircraft component supplier dealing with high-cost carbon fiber waste—this project developed chemical matrix separation and quality grading systems. This ensures recycled fibers meet strict safety standards, preventing the common problem of downcycling into low-value fillers.
If you are a boat builder dealing with massive amounts of glass fiber waste—this project developed a new type of resin for direct re-use of composites. This enables the creation of new boat components using recycled materials while maintaining structural integrity.
The project develops economically feasible procedures by using different methods for different materials: chemical separation for expensive carbon fiber and a new resin for cheaper glass fiber. This approach accounts for the substantial cost differences between the two materials.
Yes, the project includes 9 industry partners and focuses on a multi-level process for both short-term immediate impact and longer-term wider industry implementation.
The project specifically aims to enable European manufacturers to develop their own patented processes for recycled materials, reducing the current reliance on foreign licenses for 80% of virgin fiber manufacturing.
The project implements quality control and quality grading systems for spinning, weaving, and nonwoven processes to ensure materials are used in the correct domains.
The project period runs from 2022-04-01 to 2025-03-31, with deliverables including prototype quality systems and demonstration reports.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with 16 partners, 56% of whom are industrial entities (9 companies), including 6 SMEs. This structure, spanning 8 European countries, ensures that the developed recycling processes are grounded in commercial reality and tested across the entire value chain from material manufacturers to end-users.
Contact PROFACTOR GMBH in Austria for licensing and implementation details.
Contact us to connect with the MC4 consortium for recycled composite sourcing.
