FiberEUse project: composite materials reuse, Lombardy

FiberEUse (Large scale demonstration of new circular economy valuechains based on the reuse of end-of-life fiber reinforced composites) project was aimed at integrating innovative solutions and processes in a holistic approach in order to allow composite recycling and reuse in valueadded products. It focused on glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (GFRP and CFRP) used as structural materials in many manufacturing sectors like transport, constructions and energy due to their lightweight and corrosion resistance, that nowadays are mostly landfilled. The project based on the realization of three macro use-cases, further detailed in eight demonstrators:

• Mechanical recycling of short GFRP and re-use in added-value customized applications, including furniture, sport and creative products. Emerging manufacturing technologies like UV-assisted 3Dprinting and metallization by Physical Vapor Deposition will be used.
• Thermal recycling of long fibers (glass and carbon) and re-use in hightech, high-resistance applications. The input product will be End-ofLife wind turbine and aerospace components. The re-use of composites in automotive (aesthetical and structural components) and building will be demonstrated by applying controlled pyrolysis and custom remanufacturing.
• Inspection, repair and remanufacturing for Endof-Life CFRP products in high-tech applications. Adaptive design and manufacturing criteria will be implemented to allow for a complete circular economy demonstration in the automotive sector.