Washington State University researchers have received a $2 million Department of Energy (DOE) research award to develop an eco-friendly way to use recycled carbon fiber in car components.
Using recycled rather than new carbon fiber materials in car components would require about 10% of the energy of virgin carbon fiber and could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in production by about 85%, said Jinwen Zhang, the project leader and a professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
“The intended outcome involves the production of recyclable automotive parts that are both performance-competitive and cost-effective when compared to their conventional counterparts,” he said. [Read more]