DENVER — As industries increasingly turn to carbon fiber due to its lightweight and durable properties, real environmental costs are beginning to add up. A Denver-based company called Vartega is finding a niche in the growing carbon fiber industry while also working to mitigate its environmental impact.Carbon fiber’s applications span from the aerospace and automotive industries to high-end sports equipment.
Vartega increases the density of the material by adding a small percentage of thermoplastic to closely resemble the properties of virgin carbon fiber.Their main customers are compounding companies, which combine the recycled Vartega carbon fiber with a resin and further break it down into small pebbles that are sold to manufacturing companies that use the carbon fiber to make products.