The FiberEUse Demand-Driven, Cross-Sectorial, Circular Economy Approach

Composite materials are widely used in several industrial sectors such as wind energy, aeronautics, automotive, construction, boating, sports equipment, furniture and design. The ongoing increase in composites market size will result in relevant waste flows with related environmental issues and value losses if sustainable solutions for their post-use recovery and reuse are not developed and upscaled. The H2020 FiberEUse project aimed at the large-scale demonstration of new circular economy value-chains based on the reuse of End-of-Life fiber reinforced composites. The project showed the opportunities enabled by the creation of robust circular value-chains based on the implementation of a demand-driven, cross-sectorial circular economy approach, in which a material recovered from a sector is reused within high-added value products in different sectors. A holistic approach based on the synergic use of different hardware and digital enabling technologies, compounded by non-technological innovations, have been implemented to develop eight demonstrators grouped in three use cases, fostering different strategies. In particular, Use Case 1 focused on the mechanical recycling of short glass fibers, Use Case 2 on the thermal recycling of long fibers, while Use Case 3 focused on the inspection, repair and remanufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced plastics products and parts.