Energy consumption assessment and modeling of a comminution process: The glass fibers reinforced composites case-study

The implementation of circular economy concept is necessary to obtain sustainable processes. Meanwhile, End-of-Life composite products is one of the most rapidly increasing waste flow. Mechanical recycling, due to low cost and reduced environmental impact, is one of the most promising solutions for composite waste treatment, in which shredding plays a fundamental role. To compete with low cost of virgin fibers, an energy assessment and modeling of the process is mandatory. This work aims to evaluate the energy consumption of a shredding process of End-of-Life composite materials, aiming to its optimization, to enable a competitive and attractive value chain.