Recycling Glass-fiber-reinforced Plastic in a Flash
Rice University researchers have developed a process to transform end-of-life glass-fiber-reinforced plastic into silicon carbide, which is widely used in semiconductors and sandpaper.
March 21, 2024
At a Glance
- Flash joule heating process is environmentally superior to solvolysis and incineration
- Scale-up underway with external parties
- Conversion cost as low as five cents per kilogram
Glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) is widely used in everything from aircraft parts to windmill blades. Yet the very qualities that make it robust enough to be used in so many different applications make its disposal difficult. Consequently, most GFRP waste is buried in a landfill once it reaches its end of life.
To address this problem, Rice University researchers and collaborators have developed a new, energy-efficient upcycling method to transform GFRP into silicon carbide, widely used in semiconductors, sandpaper, and other products. The work was published in the Nature Sustainability journal.