Recycling of carbon fiber reinforced composites waste to close their Life Cycle in a Cradle-to-Cradle approach

Abstract Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs), with a demand expected to reach 194 ktons by 2022 and a global market increase to $48.7 billion, are increasingly popular materials due to their ability to conjugate superior mechanical resistance and lightness, thus allowing their widespread ranging from aerospace and wind turbines to automotive and sporting goods. A foreseeable consequence is the growth of production scraps and end–of–life (Eol) composites. Considering the still high cost of the virgin CF and a CF demand expected to reach 117 ktons by 2022 (average of 30 €/kg and energetic cost of 183–286 MJ/kg), this review outlines recent advances of the existing methods to recycle cumulative composite wastes, still with many unresolved problems and issues, with emphasis on CF recovery and understanding their retained properties. Finally, a brief overview on the companies that offer CFRPs recovery services with the aim of addressing the issue of Eol is presented.