Composights, the industry's first-ever portal dedicated to composites business intelligence, has published a new thought leadership report titled "Carbon Fiber Recycling: A Commercial Perspective", which addresses the growing need for achieving carbon fiber circularity and details the opportunities and challenges present in the evolving carbon fiber (CF) recycling industry.
The report provides essential insights derived from internal research and contributions from experts across the CF recycling value chain. The complete report can be downloaded for free at the Composights portal.
Key findings from the report:
- In 2024, ~50 kilotons of CF waste is expected to be generated globally.
- The annual CF waste generation is expected to surpass the 100 kilotons/year mark after 2029.
- The APAC region is currently the biggest generator of CF waste, mainly driven by China.
- Thermolysis is the most common recycling method among the current recycling companies.
- Consumer goods and the mobility sector are currently the biggest end markets for recycled CF products.
According to the report, the CF recycling market will be worth more than $400 million by 2030, with ~30 kilotons of recycled CF being consumed annually across different industries.
The report highlights that the global demand for CF has grown ~20x over the past five decades, outpacing the development of commercial recycling initiatives. Even the combined nameplate capacity of all carbon fiber recycling companies would leave ~50% of the globally produced CF waste untreated.
The report classifies inward flow of waste from two streams: 'Factory' waste and 'End-of-Life (EoL)' waste. Starting from 2029, 100+ kilotons of CF waste will be generated globally every year, most of which will be factory waste.
The APAC region, mainly driven by China, has been identified as the most lucrative region for CF recycling companies. Thermal methods have been found to be the most common recycling technique, representing a middle ground between mechanical and chemical recycling in terms of setup/processing cost and CF recovery.
Sporting goods, consumer electronics, and semi-structural automotive parts have been identified as the most high-volume applications of recycled CF. Companies like Fairmat and Thermolysis Asia (Taiwan R.O.C.) are offering end products manufactured using their own recycled CF.
Despite the challenges, ~40 kilotons of EoL waste is expected to be generated by the commercial aerospace industry alone in the year 2050. The ultimate challenge for the industry is to achieve sustainability and then turn that sustainability into profitability.
About Composights: Composights is a first-of-its-kind dedicated portal for composites business intelligence, launched by Stratview Research. Membership to the Composights portal is free for qualified professionals working within the composites value chain.
Source: www.composights.com
