Descrizione del progetto
Robot e processi di riciclaggio ottimizzati producono fibre di carbonio di alta qualità per il riutilizzo
I polimeri rinforzati con fibra di carbonio (CFRP) sono i materiali compositi più diffusamente impiegati nei velivoli e rappresentano oltre il 75 % del volume dei moderni aerei passeggeri. Il riciclaggio di tali materiali al termine della loro vita utile non solo risulta positivo per il pianeta, ma potrebbe anche essere vantaggioso per il settore aerospaziale qualora fossero prodotte fibre di carbonio riciclate a elevato valore. Il progetto HELACS, finanziato dall’UE, svilupperà una piattaforma robotica portatile innovativa per la scomposizione dei compositi a base di polimeri rinforzati con fibra di carbonio e tecnologie di pirolisi ottimizzate per il riciclaggio per approdare a una migliore resa e qualità delle fibre di carbonio. Oltre a migliorare il riciclaggio, le tecnologie potenzieranno la sicurezza del personale, portando alla creazione di nuovi posti di lavoro.
Obiettivo
HELACS will be based on i) previous results of end of life aircraft management projects (such as PAMELA or AIMERE), ii) the review of recommendations and standards for aircraft disassembly and aircraft materials recycling (such as the developed for the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association - AFRA) and iii) the experience and support of the biggest Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) entity in Europe, Teruel Airport (PLATA), to implement a cost-competitive and energy efficient solution for dismantling and recycling Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) components.
To do this, stakeholders of multiple areas of the aircraft designing, manufacturing and recycling value chain will collaborate during the project, through a Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach.
Thanks to this multiactor approach, HELACS will properly include the European Industry necessities when the current dismantling and recycling processes will be improved to properly manage CFRP components, now and in the future, by transferring innovative technologies and systems in two main pillars:
• Flexible and Portable Robotic Platform with machine learning capabilities and dedicated tools for CFRP cutting and debonding
• Recycling and valorisation technologies based on optimised pyrolysis processes for improving carbon fibre recycling yield and sizing formulation for improving carbon fibre functionalities
During HELACS, these processes will be developed, validated and demonstrated in the Teruel airport facilities to improve the recyclability of CFRP components by 40%, increase workforce safety and satisfaction by 70%, allow the value retention of recycled carbon fibres by 85%, reduce the CO2 emissions by 50% and increase the profitability by 30%. Finally, the exploitation and dissemination of HELACS results will mobilise more than 30 € million and generate more than 750 new direct jobs by 2030 by transferring the new dismantling and recycling processes to the European Aeronautic value chain.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringaircraft
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringtransportation engineeringairport engineering
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcompositescarbon fibers
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencemachine learning
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
IA - Innovation actionCoordinatore
50720 Zaragoza
Spagna