RECREATE – REcycling technologies for Circular REuse and remanufacturing of fiber-reinforced composite mATErials

The main ambition of the RECREATE project is to develop a set of innovative technologies aimed at exploiting the circularity potential of End-of-Life (EoL) complex composite waste (mainly carbon fibre reinforced composites CFRC and glass fibre reinforced composites GFRC) as a feedstock for profitable reuse of parts and materials in the manufacturing industry. The Plastics and Elastomer Technology research group activities in the project continues the research topic of a previous FiberEUse project (http://fibereuse.eu/) on improving the technical viability of recycled fibers as raw materials for composites.

RECREATE key challenge and greatest opportunity is the reduction of cost of fibers in the composites market. The reduction in the cost of fibers is expected to decrease the cost of composites, thereby driving a wider penetration of fiber composites in various applications, especially in the e-mobility sector. At the same time, issues related to recycling present the greatest challenge for composites manufacturers. The complex material compositions and the crosslinked nature of composites, especially thermoset composites, make the recyclability of composites difficult. Most of the composites used are disposed of in landfills, or incinerated. As a consequence, by enhancing the greatest market opportunity, i.e. making lower cost reusable materials available in traceable and certified way, and by limiting the market threats, i.e. demonstrating viable demand-driven solutions for circular business cases, RECREATE is meant to deliver core change to the composite industry.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101058756.

Politecnico di Milano