Research in the region – Saxony’s fibre experts

The last ten years alone have seen a wide range of research in the field of recycling fibre-reinforced plastics. In relevant scientific databases, more than 1,600 [1] or 2,680 [2] articles published worldwide can be identified for the period 2011 to 2020, and the trend is rising.

In an international comparison, research into solutions for recycling discarded components made of fibre composites is being carried out primarily in the European and Asian regions. A more detailed analysis has shown that a significant part of the research and development work comes from the Federal Republic of Germany. The region “Elbtal Sachsen” stands out with its companies and (technical) universities as a special location for innovations on fibre composites.

In addition, various national and international research and development projects on the processes for recycling fibre composites and recovering fibres have been and continue to be implemented. Another focus has been on identifying new applications for recycled fibres among other things.

For example, the Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen (Lightweight Engineering Centre Saxony) and the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology at the TU Dresden are jointly investigating the use of recycled fibres in new raw materials for industrial processes [3]. In Freiberg, the pyrolysis process for separating carbon into fibres and matrix material is being researched in a joint project between several companies and the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg [4]. The C³ – Carbon Concrete Composite e. V. is initiating and promoting several joint projects on the subject of recycling and the health effects of fibre composites in the construction industry [5].

As of 2021-02-12

List of references
[1] Für die kombinierte Suche in Web of Science: TOPIC: (recycl* OR reus* OR reprocess) AND TOPIC: („carbon fiber“ OR „glass fiber“ OR „fiber reinforced“ or „fiber composite“).
[2] Für die kombinierte Suche in Scopus: ABS(recyc* and “carbon fiber”) OR ABS(recycl* and “glass fiber”) OR ABS(recycle* and “fiber composite”) OR ABS(reus* and “carbon fiber”) OR ABS(reus* and “glass fiber”) OR ABS(reprocess and “carbon fiber”) OR ABS(reprocess and “glass fiber”) OR ABS (recycle* and “fiber reinforced”).
[3] LZS Sachsen, Organobleche aus recycelten Carbonfasern – flexibel und kostengünstig, URL: https://www.lzs-dd.de/de/organoblech-recyclingfasern (Stand: 10.01.2021).
[4] Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, PyReCA – Vollständiges stoffliches Recycling von CFK, URL: https://tu-freiberg.de/sites/default/files/media/professur-fuer-gas–und-waermetechnische-anlagen-15258/pyreca_0.pdf (Stand: 10.01.2021).
[5] C³ – Carbon Concrete Composite e. V., C³-Vorhaben, URL: https://www.bauen-neu-denken.de/c3-vorhaben (Stand: 10.01.2021).