en.Wedoany.com Reported - Researchers in Thailand have conducted an innovative study exploring the combination of polypropylene from end-of-life car bumpers with carbon fiber manufacturing waste to develop a new type of recycled composite material. This material aims to reduce waste generation in the automotive industry while enhancing resource circularity efficiency.

The automotive industry generates a large amount of waste plastic components and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer scrap annually, which are typically sent to landfills or incinerated. To address this challenge, the research team obtained four different brands of used bumpers from a Thai automotive repair company and collected carbon fiber waste from a manufacturing plant to prepare the composite material. The carbon fiber recycling process was conducted at 500°C for 60 minutes to obtain clean fiber surfaces, providing a foundation for subsequent compounding.

Through tensile, flexural, impact, and hardness tests, the research team evaluated the performance of the composite material with carbon fiber contents of 0, 5, and 10 weight percent. The results showed that as the carbon fiber content increased, the stiffness of the composite material significantly improved, providing empirical support for the application of carbon fiber waste. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis also revealed that coatings or additives on the bumper surfaces might affect material performance, offering insights for optimizing the treatment process.

This composite material combines the high stiffness of carbon fiber with the ductility of recycled polypropylene, forming a synergistic material system. It not only helps reduce the amount of plastic and carbon fiber waste sent to landfills but also demonstrates potential for commercial applications such as non-critical automotive components. As automotive manufacturers increasingly focus on sustainability, the development of such carbon fiber composites opens new pathways for waste resource utilization and is expected to drive the industry toward a more environmentally friendly transformation.

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