rCF4Sports

Circular carbon fibers for sports

Carbon fiber composites are found in bikes, rackets, skis and many other kinds of sports equipment. They are light and stiff, but at the end of their life they are hard to separate cleanly by material. rCF4Sports is investigating how carbon fibers can be recovered from these products and processed for new applications.

Motivation

Sports products made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are exemplary of linear value creation with high energy input and a lack of return structures.

Up to 95% of CFRP waste is currently disposed of through energy recovery or permanently landfilled. At the same time, pressure to act is increasing due to stricter carbon requirements and climate targets, as well as customer expectations for sustainable products. The Eureka project rCF4Sports addresses this area of tension with partners from Germany and Switzerland.

Objectives and Approach

The aim of the Eureka research project is to develop a process chain in which safety-relevant products made from recycled carbon fibers (rCF) can be manufactured industrially and certified.

To this end, rCF yarns will be further developed into aligned fabrics and prepregs, which will then be used to manufacture bicycle frames and components. In parallel, new approaches in the field of design for circularity in particular will be developed in order to consistently design products for repair, return, and recycling.

Through the integration of project-specific digital product passports, the condition of each product will be traceably recorded throughout its life cycle. In addition, training concepts on these topics, on damage assessment, and on exemplary collection strategies for the cycling sector will be established. The developed approaches will be evaluated using a rideable rCF demonstrator.

Innovations and Perspectives

The project will develop production methods and process structures that enable the repair and recycling of high-performance sports products made from recycled carbon fibers with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

Successful implementation will be measured by passed safety tests, functioning take-back and repair structures, and marketable business models.

The results are transferable to other sports products and to the CFRP sector. The project strengthens European value creation and demonstrates that circular economy approaches can also function in high-performance applications.