Approbation of various reagents for chemical recovery of carbon fiber from polymer composite materials

With the increase in consumption of products made from polymer composite materials, the volume of waste generated after the end of life cycle of such products increases. Despite the fact that most polymer composites are produced using fiberglass, recycling of carbon fiber reinforced materials is more promising, since carbon fiber is a rather expensive material. The technology of carbon fiber recovery from waste must be accompanied by the minimum possible loss of its quality characteristics, primarily strength, so that the extracted material can be effectively used, for example, for the production of lightly loaded parts or as a raw material for the manufacture of noise-insulating products. Within the framework of this work, the main task was to test various reagents for the process of polymer composite materials recycling by a chemical method. The paper describes the process of solvolysis used for carbon plastics recycling, the reagents used, and their combinations and the results obtained. The production of recycled carbon fiber and its application will bring the composite materials industry closer to the principles of non-waste production.