A team led by Jinwen Zhang, a professor at the school of mechanical and materials engineering, recently developed a new technology for carbon fiber recycling, according to Washington state university.

The team USES weak acid as a catalyst to decompose thermosetting materials with liquid ethanol containing the catalyst. To achieve better effect of decomposition, the researchers in the process of the experiment was carried out on the material to heat up, the liquid containing catalyst can better in composite material, which has complex structure of the solidified. Professor Zhang USES ethanol to inflate the resins, and then destroys the carbon and nitrogen bonds in the chemical with zinc chloride.

"The key to achieving the efficient recovery of carbon fiber is to find a catalyst that can effectively immerse the hardened resin system and destroy its bonds." Zhang said.

The method has been proved to be effective, and the carbon fiber and resin are kept separately and remanufactured. The team has applied for technical patents and tried to commercialize them.

The study was funded by the joint center for aeronautical technology innovation (JCATI), which also includes associate professor Junna Xin, postdoctoral student Tuan Liu and postgraduate postgraduate Xiaolong Guo.