Circular Production Polymer Technologies

High recycling rates require new solutions

The mobility industry is facing the challenge of achieving high recycling rates and sustainable production processes. Ensuring sufficient quantities of high-quality recycled materials is particularly problematic. Both plastics and CFRP components are difficult to recycle because existing processes are often inefficient or compromise material quality. The main objective of the project is to develop and implement sustainable, closed-loop material cycles for plastic and CFRP components.

Innovative recycling processes for plastics and CFRP

For CFRP recycling, plasma-assisted pyrolysis (PAP) is being researched in order to recover carbon fibers undamaged. This involves an innovative approach using microwave plasmas. In the field of plastics, new spectroscopic methods such as FTIRS and THz spectroscopy are being developed for efficient material detection and sorting. In addition, the decoating of components using light-based technologies is being investigated, and the combination of data-based approaches with life cycle engineering enables the holistic optimization of recycling processes.

Economic and ecological advantages for the mobility industry

New recycling technologies save primary raw materials and reduce waste, which sustainably improves the environmental balance of the mobility industry. At the same time, the processes open up new economic potential for companies that focus on circular value creation. In addition, the methods developed provide a basis for standardized, data-driven recycling processes. In the future, the concept will be transferred to other industries and further developed through new research collaborations.