According to an article published by the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials (CCM) on October 22, 2026, the university has secured a $1.34 million award from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) to advance sustainable carbon fiber recycling. The research focuses on recovering high-performance carbon fibers from expired thermoset prepreg materials and reusing them in composite repair and sustainment applications.
Expired prepregs contain reinforcing fibers pre-impregnated with uncured resin. These materials can become unsuitable for manufacturing when their permitted storage or out-time limits are exceeded, creating waste even when the fibers themselves retain value. Recycling such materials presents technical challenges because conventional recovery processes can shorten or damage fibers and reduce their adhesion to new resin systems.
The research will develop a closed-loop process combining controlled fiber size reduction, solvolysis and, where required, surface cleaning under an inert atmosphere. Fiber surface modification using compatible sizing is also being investigated to improve adhesion between recovered carbon fibers and new resin systems.
The project will use the University of Delaware’s patented Tailored Universal Feedstock for Forming (TuFF) technology to produce highly aligned, short-fiber prepreg formats from recovered material. These formats will be evaluated for composite properties and potential repair applications in collaboration with Fleet Readiness Center Southwest.
A key research objective is to achieve at least 80% strength retention relative to baseline high-performance carbon fiber epoxy prepregs, with a stretch target exceeding 90%. Previous proof-of-concept work identified fiber damage, inadequate control of fiber length and reduced fiber-resin adhesion as major factors limiting the performance of recycled carbon fiber composites.
The team will compare single-cycle and multi-cycle recycling to assess whether recovered fibers can retain sufficient performance through repeated use. The work also aims to establish specifications for fiber length distribution, surface sizing and aligned prepreg formats suitable for demanding repair applications.
The research addresses a persistent challenge in aerospace composites recycling, where recovered fibers are often directed toward lower-value applications rather than returned to high-performance structures. If successful, the process could provide a pathway for reusing expired prepregs and potentially recovering fibers from end-of-life composite components, reducing material waste and preserving the value of carbon fiber reinforcement.
Source: University of Delaware | News
