Pyrum Innovations claims CFRP recycling breakthrough
Pyrum’s Dillingen site is a hive of building activity, with projects including the world’s first holistic CFRP recycling plant (Photo: NRZ/Arno Borchers)
In addition to recycling end-of-life tyres, Pyrum Innovations is utilising its technology for the recycling of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP). After almost four years of development, the firm has commissioned an automated, semi-industrial CFRP recycling plant. The company points out that this is the ”first time CFRP has been holistically recycled worldwide.”
The CFRP plant is located at Pyrum’s main Dillingen/Saar factory in Germany and will serve as the cornerstone for the construction of a commercial-scale facility. Pyrum established the plant as part of the ‘Infinity’ project under the direction of the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology (IGCV), and a “large part” of the approximately 170,000 euros invested to-date has been subsidised by government grants.
The current generation facility has the capacity to process 1 kg of CFRP per hour. In addition to recovered fibres, the recycling process also produces pyrolysis oil, a product that Pyrum already sells to the chemical industry.
Milestone for recycling industry
Fibre-reinforced composites, which include CFRP, are used in a wide variety of areas, including the transport industry in the production of cars and commercial vehicles, aviation and public transport. They are also used in construction and the electronics and electrical industries. Due to their diverse use, an acutely increasing waste problem has arisen in recent years. A holistic recycling in the sense of a complete material recovery of CFRP is not yet possible. Waste incineration and landfill are currently the prevalent means of disposal.
Pyrum says it “wants to make a decisive contribution to solving this problem in the future.” Europe’s share of the CFRP world market, like America’s, is about 25 per cent, while Asia currently accounts for about half the global CFRP volume.
“Pyrum is committed to developing and promoting a sustainable and circular economy,” states Pascal Klein, chief executive officer of Pyrum Innovations AG. “In the future, we want to contribute to this not only through ELT recycling but also through the recycling of CFRP. The commissioning of the first automated, semi-industrial plant is a milestone for the recycling industry and an important step for us on our way to building the first industrial plant.”
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