Using microwave energy to cut carbon fiber production energy costs

A analysis group on the College of Limerick in Eire has developed a brand new methodology of manufacturing carbon fiber whereas drastically lowering its vitality footprint.

Researchers at UL are main a mission that has developed a brand new methodology of manufacturing carbon fibera high-cost light-weight materials utilized in sectors equivalent to aerospace, wind vitality, development, and transportation.

The CARBOWAVE mission makes use of an revolutionary plasma and microwave heating methodology to make carbon fiber, changing the traditional heating processes and considerably lowering vitality consumption by as a lot as 70% whereas sustaining the supplies’ efficiency.

The discount within the vitality required to provide the fabric will make the method greener and cheaper.

The bold new mission, coordinated by UL’s Professor Maurice N Collins and Dr. Anne Beaucamp McLoughlin, is ready to remodel the energy-intensive carbon fiber trade by deploying cutting-edge various heating applied sciences.

The development, the primary outcomes of which had been published within the Superior Composites and Hybrid Supplies Journal, will assist to handle environmental challenges like vitality consumption and emissions whereas additionally contributing to sustainable industrial development.

The developments developed by the analysis group will allow a extra environment friendly conversion of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a key element in carbon fiber manufacturing, which wants an unlimited quantity of vitality to be transformed into carbon fibers and is a strategic materials important for Europe’s future vitality safety.

The CARBOWAVE group will use susceptor-induced microwave heating using self-assembled nanostructures expertise, initially developed by researchers on the College of Limerick and College of Valencia, to transform PAN into carbon fiber. This may permit it to be heated faster, making the manufacturing course of extra environment friendly.

Remarkably, throughout their analysis, the UL group found that carbon fiber will be produced in a cheap home microwave and exhibit mechanical efficiency equal to that produced utilizing typical heating.

Professor Maurice Collins, principal investigator on the mission and Professor of Supplies Science in UL’s Faculty of Engineering, defined, “Europe’s reliance on energy-intensive processes has lengthy been a barrier to reaching sustainability. CARBOWAVE addresses this problem and is an thrilling mission which gives the potential to provide extra sustainable and cheaper carbon fiber.

“The long-term implications are enormous as it could allow the deployment of carbon fiber in all sorts of applications where high strength and stiffness are needed from construction, transportation, hydrogen storage to wind energy and beyond.”

Co-principal investigator Dr. Anne Beaucamp McLoughlin, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at UL, defined that the mission “goals to revolutionize the carbon fiber trade by considerably lowering the vitality consumption and the price of the carbon conversion course of with out shedding their mechanical properties.

“This project will allow for carbon fiber production to be more energy efficient, faster and cheaper, and to significantly reduce their environmental footprint.”

Carbon fiber strengthened polymers (CFRPs), derived from carbon fiber, are essential in sectors like wind energydevelopment, and transportation. The sunshine weighting capabilities of CFRPs improve wind turbine effectivity, help decarbonization in development, and enhance gas effectivity in transport, notably electrical automobiles.

Nonetheless, present carbon fiber manufacturing is extremely energy-intensive and depends closely on electrical energy and pure gasoline.

CARBOWAVE’s options goal to scale back this vitality use by over 70% whereas sustaining materials efficiency. Europe’s superior carbon supplies market, which dominates 37% of the worldwide market, will straight profit from this groundbreaking initiative.

Professor Collins added, “This mission guarantees to unlock the broader industrial use of carbon fiber by drastically lowering its manufacturing prices and environmental footprint.

“CARBOWAVE represents a step toward decarbonizing Europe’s energy-intensive industries. By integrating plasma and microwave heating technologies, the project not only addresses immediate challenges like energy consumption and emissions but also paves the way for sustainable industrial growth.”

The mission unites main research institutions and trade companions throughout Europe to drive this transformative change with the analysis group at UL partnering with the Deutsche Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung in Germany, the College of Valencia, Spain, Fraunhofer IFAM in Germany, Microwave Applied sciences Consulting SAS in France, Muegge GmbH in Germany, Centro Ricerche Fiat in Italy, Juno Composite Ltd in Eire, and Eirecomposites Ltd, additionally Eire, kind the CARBOWAVE consortium.