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Friederici, L.* ; Koch, A.* ; Martens, P.* ; Pantzke, J. ; Di Bucchianico, S. ; Streibel, T. ; Rüger, C* ; Zimmermann, R.

Recycling of fiber reinforced composites: Online mass spectrometric tracing, offline physicochemical speciation and toxicological evaluation of a pilot plant pyrolytic conversion.

Waste Manag. 173, 10-21 (2023)
Publ. Version/Full Text DOI PMC
Open Access Gold (Paid Option)
The increasing demand for lightweight materials with exceptional stability and durability has resulted in a significant rise in fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) production. These materials find applications in various fields. However, the exceptional properties and diverse compositional range of FRPs pose challenges to conventional recycling strategies. Pyrolysis has emerged as a highly promising approach for separating the fibers from the polymer matrix. In this study, we employed thermal analysis coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate the pyrolysis process. Representative FRP showed a starting decomposition temperature of 300 °C and bisphenol A, styrene, alkenes, and phenols could be identified. The identified parameters were used to operate a pilot plant with a capacity of up to 50 kg/h FRP, and reactor products were directly analyzed with soft photoionization mass spectrometry. The findings demonstrated good agreement between the pilot plant results and laboratory experiments, particularly for smaller compounds (m/z<200). The non-condensable fraction showed a range of 17 to 22 MJ/m3 as lower heating value. Analysis of the recovered fibers (diameter between 6.20 and 8.05 μm) revealed residual coke, but no toxic fibers were detected, according to the World Health Organization's definition. Yet, the organic coating of the fibers contained small amounts of potentially harmful PAHs. A toxicological assessment using a multicellular in vitro model confirmed the low hazardous potential of the recovered fibers. The findings contribute to developing sustainable and environmentally friendly recycling strategies for FRP while addressing important aspects related to the safety and toxicological implications of the resulting chemicals and fibers.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Corresponding Author
Keywords Carbon/glass-fiber Reinforced Composites ; Evolved Gas Analysis ; In Vitro Toxicity ; Mass Spectrometry ; Pyrolysis ; Thermal Analysis; Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization; Single-photon Ionization; Evolved Gas-analysis; Thermal-analysis; Energy Recovery; Epoxy-resin; Waste; Technologies; Degradation; Polymers
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0956-053X
e-ISSN 1879-2456
Journal Waste management
Quellenangaben Volume: 173, Issue: , Pages: 10-21 Article Number: , Supplement: ,
Publisher Elsevier
Publishing Place New York
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Cooperation Group Comprehensive Molecular Analytics (CMA)
Grants German Research Foundation (DFG)
Horizon 2020 program for the EU FT-ICR MS project