Recovery and Use of Recycled Carbon Fibers from Composites Based on Phenol-Formaldehyde Resins

Abstract

The technical feasibility of the recycling of specific polymeric composite materials was evaluated. Two types of carbon composites, both with phenol-formaldehyde resin but with different reinforcement, were studied. It was discovered that the solvolysis with the oxidizing agents used in an acidic environment allowed for the achievement of a high-efficiency fiber extraction. The extracted secondary carbon fibers had a high degree of purity (95–99.5% of resin was removed). Fiber thickness slightly decreased during the process (on average, by 20%). The use of chopped secondary fibers (3–9 mm fiber length) for concrete reinforcement produced a positive effect. Hence, the compressive and bending strength of the concrete blocks were accordingly 1.5% and 16% higher in comparison with the control sample. The use of secondary carbon fabric for the production of composite materials a good result: the effective tensile strength of CFRP samples reinforced with recovered fabric is only lower by 4.5% in comparison with virgin fabric.