MISSIONE 4
Istruzione
ricerca
ricerca
MISSIONE 4
Istruzione
ricerca
ricerca
Proposing Institution: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
Name of the project’s Scientific Coordinator: Laura Mazzocchetti
Other ECOSISTER partners involved in the project: PoliMi, CNR
Coordinating Spoke: Spoke 1
Other Spokes involved in the project: Spoke 3, Spoke 5
Name of partners based in the South: Italian National Research Council- Institute for Polymer, Composite and Biomaterials (IPCB), Catania
Project duration (in months): 13
Starting TRL: 5
End TRL: 7-8
ATECO/industrial sector of potential reference: Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, Manufacture of motor vehicles, Manufacture of other parts and accessories for motor vehicles, Building of ships and boats, Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery, Materials recovery, Manufacture of sports goods
Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are excellent candidates for the lightweight design of vehicle components. However, scarcity and high cost of raw materials prevent their widespread application. Moreover, carbon-fiber-based composites are difficult to recycle.
C-UP aims at exploiting a recently started-up carbon fiber recycling plant (designed by HERAmbiente @Imola – BO, starting from a joint UniBo and Curti Costruzioni Meccaniche patent) to validate the recycling process of CFRP production scraps into recycled carbon fiber (Re-CF). The remanufacturing of a component for sustainable mobility will then be achieved.
C-UP hence aims at providing the whole regional Carbon Valley value chain (and beyond the regional boundary) with reliable data and an impactful prototype for introducing such a sustainable alternative, Re-CF, into the traditional carbon fiber composites value chain.
A united effort to tailor and optimize the specific recycling process to boost the final CF properties, as well as the re-impregnation strategies to optimize composites production, are at the basis of a successful result.
In order to further validate and support the re-use of Re-CF, a precise evaluation of all the potential benefits of this route will be carried out via an LCA approach. LCA will assess not only the recycling step, but also all the stages required for the re-manufacturing of such fibers into prepregs and finally into the vehicle component.
The use of these greener alternatives is still far from being a widespread practice in the mobility industry. This is mainly due to the lack of specifically suited industrial processing methods, material knowledge, and design tools. It therefore requires the combined effort of:
C-UP brings these competencies together to support this green transition step for the regional carbon fiber value chain, well beyond the boundaries of the project.
The project aims at filling these gaps by validating a more sustainable alternative based on the re-use of recycled carbon fibers manufactured in a local plant and re-processed to be used for the manufacturing of a vehicle component, while also providing robust LCA data to support the sustainability claims associated with this transition.
The project idea is to validate components made by recycled (Re) carbon fibers (CF) through the realization of a physical prototype.
The materials considered in this project will be based on production scraps from an Emilia Romagna (RER) based company that, via a local industrial recycling plant (built by HERAmbiente in Imola – BO, on a patent by UniBo and Curti Costruzioni Meccaniche), will be recycled and remanufactured into a viable secondary raw material that will be upcycled in a component production.
This allows for combining weight saving and sustainable solutions through the reduction of raw materials’ carbon footprint as well as of the scrap volumes of the company, within an integrated almost km0 value chain.
The goal is to set the fundamentals for a circular economy of CFRPs, intended also for functional and structural elements, to support the Carbon Valley that developed in RER along the well-renowned Motor Valley.
The CO2 emissions and sustainability benefits, however, need to be quantified to fully support such a strong sustainability claim. For this reason, an LCA evaluation will follow all the industrial steps, providing an assessment of environmental improvements (such as, but not limited to, CO2 emissions) in comparison with the present production condition.
LCA of the fiber recycling and possibly of a body part produced from these recycled fibers
A prototype based on recycled CF for sustainable mobility
The prototype produced (skateboard) is manifesting the potential of recycled carbon fiber for future applications: its presentation at fairs and show is helping gathering attention. Involvement of OEM interested in pursuing sustainable approaches and develop components based on this material is underway, also with the help and support of FIB3R, the local source of Recycled carbon fibers.
Re-use of recycled carbon-fiber for upcycled applications in automotive industry
