Innovative recycling technology for carbon fiber-reinforced plastics

Fiber Composite Material Toray Develops Recycling Technology for Carbon Fibers

2025-12-17 Source: Toray | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Toray Industries has developed a recycling technology that allows various carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) made of thermoset resins to be chemically decomposed. This process preserves the strength and surface quality of the fibers.

Toray has developed a decomposition agent that breaks down three-dimensionally crosslinked and hard-to-decompose thermoset resins at lower temperatures than conventional methods.(Image: Toray) — Toray has developed a decomposition agent that breaks down three-dimensionally crosslinked and hard-to-decompose thermoset resins at lower temperatures than conventional methods.
(Image: Toray)

Toray has developed a decomposition agent that breaks down three-dimensionally cross-linked and hard-to-degrade thermoset resins at lower temperatures than conventional methods. This agent has been used to treat CFRP waste from aerospace, wind energy, automotive, and other sources. The recovered carbon fibers retain more than 95 percent of the single-fiber tensile strength of petrochemically produced virgin carbon fibers. Toray expects the CO₂ emissions of this process to be less than half of those associated with the production of new carbon fibers.

Improved Fiber Quality And Versatile Processing

The recycled carbon fibers are stronger than conventionally recycled fibers and minimize fiber breakage during post-processing. Thanks to low resin residues and good surface quality, they can be further processed for a wide range of applications. Toray has been particularly successful in dispersing short fibers and processing them into nonwoven materials in sheet form.

The recycled carbon fibers produced with this technology feature controllable water dispersibility. This enables the creation of both homogeneous nonwoven structures and those with distinctive textures reminiscent of traditional Japanese Washi paper. The material combines the functional properties of carbon fibers—such as radio frequency shielding and thermal conductivity—with the aesthetic appeal of Washi. Initial prototypes of the material have already been delivered to customers, who are developing performance and decorative materials for applications in areas such as automotive, construction, electrical and electronics, as well as everyday products. Technical evaluations are being continued in collaboration with the customers.

CFRP is used in aircraft and wind turbines, among other applications. For recycling, chemical recycling is increasingly gaining importance as a reducing agent in steel furnaces. Additionally, processes are emerging in which CFRP waste is treated through pyrolysis at high temperatures to recover and reuse fibers. The market is growing, particularly for injection molding applications. However, to further expand its use, a technology is required that avoids thermal damage to recycled carbon fibers, controls resin residues, and can be applied to various types of CFRP waste.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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