Recycled Carbon Fiber Market Size, Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Milled, Chopped, and Non-woven), By End-use (Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Semiconductors, Industrial, Consumer Goods, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Recycled carbon fibers are carbon fibers recovered from carbon reinforced composites and scraps. Recycled carbon fiber has generally good mechanical qualities that compare well to virgin carbon fiber. Measurements of stiffness reveal that recycling procedures produce recycled fibers with stiffness that is similar to virgin fiber. The pyrolysis procedure is used for recovering carbon fiber and has a slightly higher strength loss, with up to 10% reduction in strength. The fluidized bed method, on the other hand, reveals 50% reduction in strength, owing to the process's enhanced mechanical agitation and the oxidizing atmosphere's effect.

Commercial operations to recover carbon fiber from waste composites are now in the early stages of development, and as more recovered fiber becomes accessible, new applications for recovered fiber will be needed. The use of wet lay methods to manufacture non-woven mats is being studied as a way to employ recovered carbon fiber as a structural reinforcement.

Due to its high specific mechanical qualities, carbon fiber is increasingly being used in lightweight structures. According to IOPScience, several large civil aerospace programs, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350, have already seen rapid expansion.

• The automotive, industrial, and power generation industries are also expected to develop at a positive rate. Carbon fiber consumption is already in excess of 100,000 tons per year, with an annual increase expected to range between 10% and 20%.


• With worldwide manufacturing currently exceeding 90,000,000 vehicles per year, automotive remains an intriguing potential future user of significant volumes of fiber. Even a modest bit of fiber in a small percentage of total production would have a big effect on demand.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Recycled Carbon Fiber Market

The unanticipated adjustments in global markets as a result of the coronavirus’ abrupt spread have caused many significant and minor tremors in businesses of all kinds, including the recycled carbon fiber market.

The shutdown of manufacturing facilities due to stringent norms of governments resulted in a decline in recycled carbon fiber production capacity. Automotive, aerospace, and other end-use industries have all ceased production. As a result of the pandemic's influence on the global economy, several automotive manufacturers, notably BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen have seen their market shares decline.

Key Insights

The report covers the following key insights:

• Regulatory scenario of recycled carbon fiber


• Key development of recycled carbon fiber


• Government initiatives to promote recycled carbon fiber


• Impact of COVID-19 on the market

Analysis by type

On the basis of type, the market is segmented into milled, chopped, and non-woven.

• For additive manufacturing (3D printing) procedures, milled carbon fiber is used to create filaments with superior mechanical qualities.


• Chopped fibers are employed in a number of research projects that are looking into net shape production procedures for resin transfer molding and stamp forming.


• Non-woven type is used in composite production techniques, including liquid compression molding, and also as a raw material for prepreg and SMC products.

Regional Analysis

The global recycled carbon fiber market is studied across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Europe is expected to hold prime share attributed to the strong presence of an automotive manufacturing base. North America is one of the emerging markets for recycled carbon fiber due to extensive research & development in the aerospace and defense sectors. Asia Pacific is expected to indicate moderate growth. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are expected to record a relatively higher CAGR by the end of the forecast period.

Key Players Covered

The report includes the profiles of key players such as Toray Industries Inc., ELG Carbon Fiber Ltd, Procotex Corporation SA, Karborek Recycling Carbon Fibers, SGL Carbon, Carbon Fiber Recycling, Inc., Vartega Inc., and others.

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments

• In May 2021, ELG Carbon Fiber Limited (ECF) sold its short fiber business to Procotex Corporation SA, and the company's management launched a new growth platform, Gen 2 Carbon, to focus on the long, recycled carbon fiber business, which primarily supplies carbon fiber and thermoplastic nonwovens to the composites industry.


• In July 2019, Varteg, a carbon fiber recycler based in Colorado, introduced a new 10,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for the recycling of uncured carbon fiber prepregs.