More sustainable Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (SCFRPs) have been prepated via coupling highly bio-based epoxy matrices and recycled carbon fibers, reclaimed by the pyro-gasification of CFRPs. First, the thermo-mechanical properties of SCFRPs made of virgin (Vi), treated virgin (TVi), and recycled (Re) carbon fibers were assessed using a commercial BPA-petroleum based epoxy resin in a lab hot-press manufacturing process; then two single aromatic diglycidyl ethers from vanillyl alcohol (DGEVA) and gastrodigenin (DGEGD) were used for making SCFRPs either with virgin or recycled short carbon fibers with the same optimized processing conditions. Although all the recycled carbon fiber-based composites showed lower mechanical properties than the virgin fiber-based ones, it was determined that recycled carbon fibers reclaimed by the pyro-gasification are suitable to make SCRPS for non-structural applications, where lightweight and high-performance materials are still desired. Interestingly, the DGEVA- and DGEGD-based composites exhibited almost the same thermo-mechanical properties as the composites made of the commercial epoxy resin, highlighting the aptitude of these bio-based epoxy prepolymers to replace current BPA-, petroleum-based epoxy resins in composites manufacturing in the near future. This pioneering work paves the way for the development of more sustainable, high performance CFRPs and provides impetus toward the increase of polymers and composites derived from renewable resources.

Coupling bio-based epoxy resins and recycled carbon fibers: New advances in more sustainable CFRPs

2019 Spring National Meeting

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