Process and characterization of reclaimed carbon fiber composites by pyrolysis and oxidation, assisted by thermal plasma to avoid pollutants emissions

This paper shows a developed process to reclaim carbon fiber from end-of-life thermoset composite or pre-preg process waste, which uses pyrolysis and oxidation to remove the matrix (resin) and a plasma reactor to treat the exhaust gases. Laminates were manufactured to be recycled and the reclaimed laminates were remanufactured and then tested. Tensile tests, interlaminar shear strength tests and measurement of the fiber volumetric fraction for both virgin and reclaimed laminates were carried out. The dimensions, masses and permeability were also measured for both virgin and recycled laminates. Additionally, ultrasound inspections, Raman spectroscopy, micrographs using scanning and transmission, as well as microscopy of the fracture surfaces of the composite specimens submitted to the tensile and interlaminar shear strength tests were performed. Monofilament tensile tests in one of the reclaimed and virgin samples were also conducted. All these tests and analysis were conducted aiming at comparing the overall performance of the reference (virgin) composite to the one manufactured with reclaimed carbon fiber, trying to better understand the differences between them, and the origin and cause of these differences.