University of Southern California researchers have developed a revolutionary process using a waste-gobbling fungus to turn carbon fiber materials that are taking up landfill space into beneficial products.
USC Today reported that the method upcycles materials from the carbon fiber fabric and polymer of a material widely used to manufacture car panels and light rail vehicles. While these materials are a key component in producing eco-friendly electric vehicles, they're also difficult to recycle and usually end their lifecycle in landfills, releasing harmful planet-warming gases and pollution into the air, water, and soil.
However, the results of the study, which was a collaboration between USC scientists and researchers from the University of Kansas, offer a promising solution to repurpose these materials and transform them into valuable products. Once the process is implemented on a large scale, it will help reduce the amount of waste piling up in landfills.
The team developed the nature-based recycling method after observing the increasing use of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers in the aerospace, automobile, and energy sectors and realizing there was no clear end-of-life process for these materials.
Because composite waste is difficult to break down into individual components and recycle, only about 1% of it is recycled using a controversial technique that involves burning the polymer matrix, a rigid material that binds the carbon fibers together. Using the fungal solution, scientists were able to repurpose these materials instead of letting nature reclaim them.
According to USC Today, an estimated 6,000-8,000 composite-containing commercial planes will retire by 2030, and around 483,000 tons of composite waste will be created from decommissioned wind turbines by 2050. The waste-eating fungus is greatly needed to intercept these materials before they become another piece of trash in a landfill.
The recycling technique preserves the durable part of the material — the carbon fibers of the CFRP — and ensures they retain over 97% of their initial strength, meaning they can be successfully reused in new products.
"The study demonstrates the first successful method to reclaim high value from both the carbon fiber and polymer matrix of CFRP materials," Travis Williams, a chemistry professor at USC, told USC Today.
In its research, the team utilized a newly engineered fungus called Aspergillus nidulans, which it found reacts with the composite material to produce a chemical called OTA with important implications for the medical field.
🗣️ Would you want to live in a home made from recycled trash?
🔘 Heck yeah 💯
🔘 Sure 👍
🔘 Depends on the material 🤔
🔘 No thanks 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"OTA can be used to make products with potential medical applications, like antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs," said co-researcher Clay C.C. Wang, professor at USC Mann and the school's department of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences chair. "This discovery is important because it shows a new, more efficient way to turn what was previously considered waste material into something valuable that could be used in medicine."
"This breakthrough comes at a crucial time, as the demand for CFRPs continues to grow," Williams said. "With projections indicating significant increases in CFRP waste in the coming decades, this concept offers a promising solution for sustainable materials management."
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
