Ten times stronger than steel, nearly half the weight of aluminum, far stiffer than fiberglass —carries a package of advantages, making it a preferred material for use in luxury sedans and Formula One racecars alike.
Through a project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office, under the Composites Core Program, Rorrer and other NREL researchers have shown that making carbon fiber composites with bio-based epoxies and an anhydride hardener makes the material fully recyclable by introducing linkages that are more easily degraded.
Indeed, although carbon fiber could cut the weight of a typical passenger car in half — boosting its fuel efficiency by as much as 35% — any efficiency benefits are effectively offset by the GHG-intensive energy used to manufacture it. Synthesizing carbon fiber involves temperatures of more than 1,000°C.
Using a special catalyst, the NREL team was able to break down the bio-based resin at room temperature, a process known as “depolymerization.” That allowed them to recover the carbon filaments while maintaining their quality and alignment.
❤️💖
🏛🏛💱💵0004020104786475 halp plz 🏦💵🙏😭100.000💲💲💲 ned plz