Start

01/10/2024

End

30/09/2028

Status

In progress

FibReLoop - Closing the fibre-reinforced composites loop: recycling materials for recycled components

Website's Project

Start

01/10/2024

End

30/09/2028

Status

In progress

FibReLoop - Closing the fibre-reinforced composites loop: recycling materials for recycled components

Website's Project

Fibre-reinforced composites are a key technology for a sustainable society and are largely employed in several industrial sectors. Their recent widespread adoption, however, was not matched by a similar technological advancement of their recycling and disposal. In the next three decades, up to three million tons of composites waste are estimated to be produced globally. Landfilling or incinerating such an amount of material, as it is done today, would compromise the fight against climate change. FibReLoop thus aims to train 14 researchers that: 1) have a multi-disciplinary background expertise on all circular economic aspects of fibre-reinforced composites; 2) are able to identify, develop and commercialise key technologies and research opportunities for the sustainable development of composites; 3) can communicate efficiently with industrial partners, academics, media, policy makers and the general audience. FibReLoop researchers will be involved in all the phases of the recycling process of composite parts: the analysis and development of recycling techniques, the material characterisation and modelling of the recycled composites, the design of recycled components and their industrial adoption. Overall, FibReLoop scientific advancement will allow to fully contextualise fibre-reinforced composites in a circular economic framework, boosting EU’s innovation capabilities while also allowing it to achieve the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal.