Rice University researchers say they've developed a new fully recyclable material that could form the foundation of everything from planes to buildings. Their findings were published in the journal Carbon, and they outlined the step toward creating a circular economy in a news release.
"Recycling has long been a challenge in the materials industry — metals recycling is often inefficient and energy intensive, polymers tend to lose their properties after reprocessing and carbon fibers cannot be recycled at all, only downcycled by chopping them up into short pieces," said corresponding author Matteo Pasquali.
The scientists' alternative used carbon nanotube fibers instead of the aforementioned materials.
To properly test its CNT fibers and mimic real-life recycling, the team sourced the materials from different manufacturers and processed them separately into single-source virgin fibers. It then recycled the distinct fibers together by using chlorosulfonic acid as a solvent. The researchers were astonished when the fibers were indistinguishable as a mixed-source recycled fiber and retained their properties.
"Remarkably, the recycled fibers demonstrated equivalent mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and alignment, which is unprecedented in the field of engineered materials," declared co-first author Michelle Durán-Chaves.
The breakthrough results offer two extremely promising selling points for CNT fibers. First, they are fully recyclable, which distinguishes them from polymers and carbon fibers that degrade as they are recycled.
"This preservation of quality means CNT fibers can be used and reused in demanding applications without compromising performance, thus extending their lifecycle and reducing the need for new raw materials," noted co-first author Ivan R. Siqueira.
Second is recycling's efficiency, which doesn't involve the time-consuming sorting, high energy usage, or hazardous chemicals of some metals and polymers recycling. The Rice team's work joins many efforts to develop more recyclable materials and reuse some of the more technical materials available.
A University of Sydney team took on carbon fiber composite materials in sports, looking to recycle them while retaining over 90% of their original stiffness and strength. An effort from the University of Southern California used a waste-gobbling fungus to turn polymers and carbon fiber in landfills into useful products.
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Absolutely 💯 Meanwhile, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-led effort is tackling metals recycling, aiming to reduce its chemical use and associated pollution. A Cornell University-led team is focusing on e-waste, an especially tricky area for recycling.
As plastics and metals increasingly end up in methane-producing landfills, upcycling and recycling as much as possible is imperative. Plastic doesn't just stay put, as microplastics inevitably leak and end up everywhere from deep in the ocean to our bodies. The pollution and energy use from some recycling also contribute to the dangerous warming of the planet.
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The Rice team is confident that as its material is scaled up, it can make a huge difference in materials manufacturing.
"We hope this could pave the way for fully recyclable composites in aircraft, vehicles, civil infrastructures and more, ultimately reducing environmental impacts across a wide range of sectors," concluded Durán-Chaves.
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