Boeing and ELG announced on December 5 that the two parties have signed an agreement to recycle aviation composite material waste. The recovered carbon fiber will be provided to other companies for use in manufacturing notebook computer accessories, automotive parts and other products. The agreement is an unprecedented attempt by the aviation industry. Carbon fiber composite waste from Boeing's 11 aircraft manufacturing bases has been collected and processed by ELG to reduce solid waste by more than 1 million pounds (about 453 tons) per year.
As the largest user of aerospace composite materials, Boeing has been committed to creating an economically viable carbon fiber reuse industry benchmark. The company improved its production methods to reduce corner waste and developed a waste collection model.
However, existing technologies hinder the reuse of solidified or uncured waste during aircraft manufacturing. UK-based ELG has developed a proprietary method to recycle cured composites without having to throw them away.
"Recycling of the cured carbon fiber composite was not possible a few years ago," said Tia Benson Tolle, director of materials and manufacturing at Boeing Product Strategy and Future Aircraft Development. "We are excited to partner with ELG and take advantage of innovative recycling methods. Strive to achieve the vision of zero landfill for composite waste. "
To demonstrate that the recycling method can be applied on a large scale, Boeing and ELG's Composite Wing Center in Everett, Washington, launched a pilot project to recycle excess waste.
ELG puts the waste into a combustion furnace for processing, and pyrolyzes the interlayer resin of the carbon fiber composite material, leaving only carbon fiber. During the 18-month project period, Boeing sold 380,000 pounds (about 172 tons) of carbon fiber after cleaning and processing to companies engaged in the electronics and land transportation industries for the manufacture of other composite products.
"Considering that these materials will be used for a long time in automotive and electronics projects, supply chain security is very important," said Frazer Barnes, managing director of ELG Carbon Fiber. "This agreement gives us the ability to guarantee a stable supply and gives our customers the confidence to use recycled materials. material."
Based on the successful experience of the pilot project, Boeing said that the new agreement will dispose of most of the composite waste generated from its 11 manufacturing sites, which will help the company achieve its goal of reducing solid waste landfills by 2025.
"This cooperation raises Boeing's environmental commitment to a whole new level, and recycled composites will eventually become as popular as recycled aluminum and titanium alloys," said Kevin Bartelson, head of operations for the 777X composite wing center.
Boeing and ELG are considering expanding the scope of the agreement to recycle excess waste from three Boeing plants in Canada, China and Malaysia.
Due to the conclusion of the partnership, ELG estimates that as the recycling market continues to expand, it is expected that its number of employees will increase from 39 in 2016 to 112 at the end of 2019.