REcycling technologies for Circular REuse and remanufacturing of fiber-reinforced composite mATErials

The general objective of the RECREATE project is to develop a set of innovative technologies aimed at exploiting the potential of End-of-Life (EoL) complex composite waste as feedstock for profitable reuse of parts and materials in the manufacturing industry. In the light of this, more specific objectives are:

• to develop and validate in relevant environment (TRL6) novel reuse strategies for large EoL composite parts based on smart recognition and inspection for sorting (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy), high precision dismantling (laser-shock) and repair, temperature-assisted reshaping, design for disassembly based on reversible joints, AI-assisted decision support systems;
• to develop and validate in relevant environment (TRL6) innovative recycling technologies (catalyst-assisted green solvolysis and electrofragmentation) allowing simultaneous recovery of high quality, integer, clean fibers and of an organic resin fraction reusable as coating material, at the very end of the multiple reuse processes of parts;
• to demonstrate at TRL6 the use of smart and green reversible thermoset resins as enabling materials for the realization of the next generation of fiber-reinforced composites with easier repairability and enhanced reusability, facilitating the transition towards recyclable-by-design composites;
• to develop digital tools for the quantitative evaluation of the environmental and economic performance of the proposed technologies (LCA/LCC), as well as their circularity assessment and acceleration;
• to co-design innovative digital learning resources, based on MOOCs, gamification and digital twins of some specialty technologies developed in the project, with easy adoption and high replicability.

The objectives and ambition of RECREATE are fully compliant with the general requirements of the Horizon Europe - Digital, Industry and Space 2021 Work Programme, and with the specific requirements of the call Horizon-CL4-2021-Resilience-01-01.