Uplift360, a cleantech startup based in Luxembourg and Bristol (UK), has been awarded an Innovate UK Smart Grant (July 2024 round) to advance its proprietary chemical recycling technology, ChemR. Out of 2,134 applicants, Uplift360 s project was selected among just 44 funded initiatives, underscoring its potential to address one of the most urgent challenges in composite materials recycling.

ChemR is a low-energy, ambient-condition chemical recycling process designed for carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP). Unlike traditional thermal or mechanical recycling methods, which often degrade fiber quality, ChemR operates at room temperature and pressure while allowing for direct solvent reuse between batches. The result is high-purity recovered fibers that are suitable for reinjection into composite manufacturing without structural compromise.

This grant is a major step forward. ChemR shows that high-performance recycling can be both clean and scalable, said Harry Miller, product and engineering director at Uplift360.

The innovation arrives at a critical time. Up to 50% of CFRP is wasted during manufacturing, and the U.K. alone produces between 30,000 and 50,000 tonnes of CFRP waste annually. This waste stream, if effectively recycled, represents a market value exceeding 1.2 billion. Yet, just 20% of this waste is currently recycled, and less than 2% reused, due to the inefficiencies and limitations of existing recycling technologies.

Uplift360 s ChemR technology aligns with several strategic UK frameworks, including:

• The Ministry of Defence s Defence Circularity Concept Note, which emphasizes resilient domestic supply chains.
• The Critical Minerals and Advanced Materials Strategies, which support increased domestic recycling capacity.
• Evolving waste and circular economy policies, particularly in the context of carbon reduction and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.

The Smart Grant will fund the delivery of a pilot-scale ChemR system and real-world demonstrations in collaboration with industry partners. Uplift360 aims to scale the system to a fully integrated pilot line, validate its fiber recovery performance across diverse applications, and lay the groundwork for commercial roll-out in aerospace, automotive, defense, and clean energy sectors.

Source: www.uplift360.tech