A Decision Support System for the Selection of Best End-of-Life Composites Route

The use of composite materials has increased in recent years due to their mechanical properties, low weight, and resistance to various environmental conditions. This demand corresponds with their application in sectors such as wind energy, automotive, and aerospace industries. However, managing End-of-Life (EoL) or post-service components presents challenges, as recycling composites is difficult. Information asymmetry within the composite value chain and the absence of decision support further contribute to the complexity. This study presents a multicriteria-based, two-step decision support system (DSS) aimed at enabling circular solutions within the composite industry. The first step of the DSS involves selecting a strategy for EoL management. The second step ranks recycling technologies suitable for EoL components requiring recycling. Decisions are informed by multiple criteria, including technical specifications of the recyclates, economic feasibility, and process parameters. The Best-Worst Method (BWM) is used to assign weights to the criteria, while the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is used to rank alternatives at each decision point. The obtained results show the potentiality of this approach in finding best secondary treatment route, also suggesting possible future research directions.