Boeing has begun working with the University of Nottingham in the UK to develop recycling methods for the carbon fiber composites used on its 787 Dreamliner and other aircraft. Sir Roger Bone, president of Boeing UK, formally launched the research program the company is conducting in collaboration with the university's Faculty of Engineering during a visit to Nottingham on October 24.
"Boeing wants to be able to recycle composite materials from manufacturing operations to improve product sustainability and to develop more efficient ways of recycling aircraft," Bone said in a press release. "The ultimate aim is to insert recycled materials back into the manufacturing process, for instance on the plane in non-structural sustainable interiors applications, or in the tooling we use for manufacture. This work helps us create environmental solutions throughout the lifecycle of Boeing products." Boeing does not currently use recycled carbon fiber materials in its manufacturing.
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivered to Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) lands at Tokyo's Haneda Airport
on September 27, 2011.
Recycling carbon fiber-based composites is not an easy job. The matrix of carbon fiber and resin that constitutes a composite fuselage or wing structure must be untangled and disassembled, and the fibers themselves must be recovered in good enough condition that they can be used again. Recycled fibers generally aren't as strong as virgin fibers and are no longer in sheet form. Pyrolysis, a form of thermochemical, high-pressure decomposition, is the usual method for extracting fibers from matrices made of epoxies. The problem of reusing fiber scrap created during production is an even more pressing issue, since carbon fiber is expensive, and at least two thirds of the material ends up as waste.
Boeing has collaborated with the University of Nottingham since 2006. The university's researchers have developed a number of ways to recycle carbon fiber composite materials. Boeing is investing $1 million each year for three years to begin with. The research is expected to result in the development of new recycling processes, technology to process recycled fibers into new applications, and new products that use recycled materials in collaboration with other suppliers. In 2006, Boeing became a founding member of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA), which the university joined in 2008.
In a presentation at the Go Carbon Fiber 2011 conference in Seattle, William Carberry, Boeing's aircraft recycling project manager, said that by the time the airplanes shipped to Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) in September are at the end of their service life, the recycling technology will be ready. "By the time the first 787s are being retired, that plane will be more recycled than aluminum aircraft."
Another potential application area for recycled carbon fiber composites is the automotive industry. Automotive suppliers have avoided purchasing these materials new, because of their high cost, but recycled materials would likely be less expensive.
Sounds like a tricky process, but one well worth the time and money devoted to this research. Given the amount of composite materials used in the Dreamliner, this seems like it should be a priority regardless of expense or complications. I would also think that in light of the cost of composite manufacturing, it would also make sense to have some sort of long-term vision around sustainability for both environmental good and ROI.
Since the cost of the recycled carbon fiber materials is about 1/10th of the same stuff new, this looks like it's probably worth the effort from that cost standpoint alone. It would be interesting to find out if the cost of the research has been figured into that estimate.
As Beth and Ann both point out, Boeing has an incentive to fund composites recyclability research simply from a cost savings standpoint. But given that recyclability is a big part of the argument for steel and/or light metals being greener than composites, it makes sense that composites recycling would be a Holy Grail in the composites vs. metals debate. A recent article in Design News mentioned a study by the Steel Market Development Institute which claimed to show that in a full life cycle analysis, steel produces far fewer emissions than other materials.
Obviously, the Steel Market Development Institute is not exactly an impartial observer, but they are not the only ones looking at end-of-life. Life cycle analysis tools are increasingly available, and (hopefully) will increasingly be a part of the materials selection process.
I certainly would not want to depend on anything that used fibers recovered by pyrolysis, since they would probably have an unknown reduction in strength. But the scrap material could possibly serve as filler in other materials, such as concrete, or large bulk plastic items. If the epoxy or whatever material remained on the fibers, then they would be protected from damage. The big question would be how far to take the reclamation part of the operation. Grind the scrap into small chunks and use it as filler, or attempt to recover the strands and it may not be cost effective. It certainly will need some serious study.
It's true that the resulting materials lose out a lot on strength. For that reason, recycled composites that were previously used for structural components will only be used for non-structural components. Using whatever results in scrap as filler in other materials sounds like an interesting idea.
Yes, Dave, the Steel Market Development Institute has a point -- to look at the full life cycle of materials in order to determine the full emissions impact. Even if the Institute has an inherent bias in favor of steel, the concept it valid. Let the analysis from raw materials through use to recycling determine the cleanest materials.
I'm all for the lifecycle analysis approach. I think it's the best way, perhaps the only way, to determine where systainability goals are not being met. It's also a great wya to find out where cost and other efficiencies could be improved.
But what I wonder about is who's doing, or going to do, all the analysis? This is a ton of work. And what will the metrics be against which performance is measured? I know there have been some consortia and other groups working on, for example, analyzing data center energy use and coming up with various standards and metrics. Rob, do you know if there's anything like this in place for materials?
Good question, Ann. Turns out the Steel Market Development Institute commissioned a study, which we covered. The study compared the cost of making steel against the cost of making alternative materials. They also factored in the savings in alternatives during the lifetime of the vehicle and factored in recycling. Steel of course came out the winner.
I haven’t seen an independent study on this. But it would be a worthy effort.
Thanks for the link, Rob. I guess what I'm wondering about isn't so much the specifics of emissions as it is the assumptions, statistical and otherwise, that go into an accepted, objective, independent, industry-wide metrics for determining how lifecycle emissions will be measured and compared. Without such a standard in place--akin to the European RoHS, for example--it's just he said she said.
Does anybody know what the real life span is for these materials, or more importantly of the planes themselves? When do these materials need to be recycled?
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