A new initiative is being launched to develop the next generation of sustainable composite materials and bring together the UK’s composites expertise to quickly turn research breakthroughs into industrial applications. The UK Undersecretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Nadhim Zawahi MP, will announce the initiative today, 3 July at the University of Bristol’s Sustainability Summit 2020, taking place virtually from 29 June to 3 July.

Led by the National Composites Centre (NCC) and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) – two of the seven High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres – Sustainable Composites is a partnership between industry, academia and government that will harness the UK’s world-leading composites research and technology development capabilities to capitalise on this rapidly growing, circa £2 billion global market for end-of-life recycling.

85% not being reused or recycled at end of life

“Composites are in high demand by manufacturers developing the next generation of lightweight, super energy-efficient planes, cars and wind turbines. Compared to metals and other materials, composites are lighter, stronger, more durable, longer-lasting, and allow more flexibility in design. But 85% of these valuable materials are currently not being reused or recycled at the end of their life,” NCC says.

“Today’s advanced composites are complex structures comprising layers of materials and resin that are heated and compressed to create the materials. Whilst they can increase the lifespan of products by decades and reduce their environmental impact, unpicking these elements in a recycling process is difficult, and current recycling techniques often degrade the material’s performance, reducing their value and offering limited applications. In addition, more than 95% of composites are made from raw materials and resins that are derived from oil, making them unsustainable.”

End of life – aero graveyard. © National Composites Centre.

Sustainable Composites is set to address these challenges by accelerating the development of new recycling technologies in the UK while simultaneously creating new sustainable composites made from bio-based materials including vegetable waste, corn, nutshells and algae.

“The UK is already leading in ground-breaking technologies for composites recycling,” NCC adds. The NCC, based in Bristol, has developed a new technology with Oxford Brookes University, which separates (or disbonds) composite structures quickly and cheaply using a simple heat source. CPI worked with Fibreright to develop a novel method to generate sustainable added value products from municipal solid waste. Additionally, ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd, based in the West Midlands, UK, is the world’s first commercial recycler of carbon fibre composites.

R&D projects

The Sustainable Composites partnership will deliver a series of R&D projects that bring together companies across the composites supply chain, from materials manufacturers, to chemical suppliers, manufacturers, and recycling companies. The projects aim to identify and mature new technologies, investigate new material feedstocks (such as bio or waste), and develop the product design and manufacturing processes that enable these new materials to quickly enter the supply chain and be successfully recycled at the end of their life.

The Steam to Value Stream project is investigating how an innovative steam process developed and patented by B&M Longworth, an SME based in Blackburn, UK, can be used for reclaiming resin and fibres from a composite component. The team will then explore how these materials can be used in the HiPerDiF technology developed at the University of Bristol – a novel fibre realignment process that takes discontinuous short fibres and aligns them into ready-to-lay composite tapes to be used in aerospace, automotive and wind turbine manufacturing.

Steam to Value Stream wind turbines. © National Composites Centre.

The Bio-Bolster project will explore bio-derived resins for high volume manufacturing applications, and includes developing an understanding of supply chains, design requirements and performance characteristics to produce a novel material with less impact on the environment.

Richard Oldfield, Chief Executive at the NCC, commented: “We have the expertise in the UK to take the lead in developing the technologies and processes that make composite materials a net zero carbon alternative. We need to accelerate that innovation and lock-in sustainability from design to end-of- life – and that’s where the NCC can help. By joining forces with CPI in this initiative, we are bringing together our engineers, our technologies and our network of universities and companies to build a robust supply chain in the UK.”

Ed Goodman, Programme Lead for Sustainable Composites, said: “Composites are already supporting sustainability and helping companies meet their low carbon goals by dramatically reducing weight without impacting their performance, enabling critical renewable energy sources. Composites are making aircraft more fuel efficient, increasing the range of electric vehicles, and helping companies build huge wind turbine blades to power our homes. This initiative will harness our world-leading composites research and technology capabilities to make zero impact composites a reality. And it will ensure the UK continues to lead the way in sustainable materials and capitalise on the huge opportunities for recycling of valuable materials to protect our precious resources for future generations.”

Frank Millar, Chief Executive Officer at CPI, said: “The Sustainable Composites partnership builds on successful pilot projects delivered in close partnership between industry and the research and technology community. Adopting and embedding sustainable manufacturing practices through the whole of the composite materials lifecycle is a compelling opportunity to reduce the environmental impact from these products.”

Get involved

This initiative relies on the involvement of organisations from across industry to feed in ideas and shape future work. Companies who would like to get involved are invited to visit www.nccuk.com/sustainable-composites or email [email protected].

Watch the NCC’s short animation video introducing the Sustainable Composites partnership…