Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials for the Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities

How advanced technologies and systemic solutions can promote the transition from a linear to a circular economy of fiber-reinforced composite materials.

Syllabus

Board
Week 0 - Course Introduction
Week 1 - Supply Chain
Geographical and sectorial mapping and distribution of end-of-life (EoL) composite waste
Typical composition and technical features (e.g. typical sizes, parts etc.)
Issues related to dismantling, transportation and logistics
Selection of EoL composite parts in relation to their second life use (e.g. selection criteria, definition of key performance indicators etc.)
Week 2 - De-manufacturing and Re-manufacturing of Composite Parts and Structures
Advanced material identification and characterization methods (e.g. non-destructive techniques, decision-support systems based on artificial intelligence, etc.)
Advanced repair, reuse and remanufacturing strategies for complex EoL composite parts (e.g. laser-shock-assisted active dismantling of multilayer structures, T-assisted reshaping)
Advanced recycling technologies for fiber and matrix liberation (e.g. electrofragmentation, catalyst-assisted low-T green solvolysis)
Week 3 - Next Generation Recyclable by Design Composites
Design strategies for reusability and recyclability of composite components (e.g. modular design)
Advanced technologies for recyclable-by-design composite components (e.g. reversible joining approaches, reversible adhesives, reversible resins)
Chemical foundations for reversible material systems
Advanced material characterization techniques and reprocessing (e.g. single-fiber testing, fiber resizing, resin characterization strategies for reuse)
Week 4 - Circular Economy and Sustainability
The circular economy - general principles and application to the composite field
Innovation management and circular business plans - general principles and application to reuse and recycling of composite parts and materials-digital technologies for the circular economy
Environmental and socio-economic sustainbility assessment - general principles and application to the composite field
Risks
Knowledge management and intellectual property
Additional Resources

Taught by

Gianmarco Griffini, Mohammad Jawad Berro, Alexander Erler, Jurij Giacomelli, Michael Haumann, Kirsten Lange, Eric Le Gal La Salle, Volker Mathes, Maxime Olive, Essi Sarlin, and Christina Vogiantzi