Partners: ÉireComposites, University of Limerick, Deutsche Institute Fur Textil- Und Faserforschun (DITF), Universitat De Valencia, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Forderung Der Ang, Microwave Technologies Consulting, Muegge, Pedal Consulting, Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF), Juno Composites
Funding: €4.5M over 48 months from HE
Disclaimer: The CARBOWAVE project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme, Grant Agreement number 101192581 as part of the HORIZON-CL5-2024-D4-01 call.
Introduction to Carbon Fibre
Carbon fibre (CF) is a vital material for many sectors underpinning Europe’s energy security. It plays a pivotal role in manufacturing lighter wind turbines, more fuel-efficient automobiles, and reducing emissions in construction. However, the traditional method of converting poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) to CF requires substantial amounts of electricity and natural gas, limiting its industrial use to high-end, expensive applications.
The CARBOWAVE Project
The CARBOWAVE project aims to overcome these limitations by drastically reducing the energy consumption, carbon emissions and production costs associated with CF. By developing alternative heating sources, CARBOWAVE seeks to transform energy-intensive industries and maintain Europe’s leadership in advanced carbon materials.
Innovative Heating Systems to Minimize Energy Use
CARBOWAVE’s primary goal is to increase the use of carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) in automotive manufacturing, wind turbine manufacturing and construction by solving the current problems associated with energy-intensive consumption. CARBOWAVE’s ambition is to develop plasma and microwave heating systems as cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives. The technology will be validated in CF industrial processes, thereby securing the competitive future of carbon fibre as a strategic material for Europe.
Specific Objectives
- Plasma Heating System Development: Create an efficient plasma heating system to reduce the target temperature during the continuous oxidative stabilization of CF, benefiting the construction, wind turbine, and automotive industries.
- Tunable Dielectric Susceptor Coatings: Innovate high-temperature dielectric susceptor coatings to enable focused heat generation via microwave technologies on otherwise microwave-transparent materials.
- Novel Microwave Cavity Design: Develop a microwave cavity suitable for the continuous carbonization/graphitization of stabilized CF for construction, wind turbine, and automotive/EV manufacturing industries.
- Production Process Improvement: Enhance production processes for alternatively stabilized and carbonized fibres, meeting specific end-user requirements and achieving Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6).
- Technical Validation: Validate CARBOWAVE technologies through a continuous alternative CF pilot line and produce CFRP demonstrators for the targeted industries.
- Recycling Potential Demonstration: Use microwave-based decomposition to demonstrate the recycling potential of CFRP, evaluating the recovery of undamaged fibres and pre-polymeric material for future use.
- Environmental and Cost Impact Assessment: Assess the environmental and cost impacts across the CFRP value chain, demonstrating significant improvements over conventional processes and reducing dependency on fossil fuels.
- Health and Safety Impact Assessment: Evaluate the impact of CARBOWAVE technologies on the health and safety of industrial workers.
- Commercial Exploitation and Market Positioning: Establish CARBOWAVE as a technology leader in the European and global carbon fibre industry through market research, techno-economic analysis, and equipment cost assessment.
CARBOWAVE’s Impact
CARBOWAVE is expected to have substantial economic, environmental and technological impacts.
Europe currently dominates the advanced carbon materials market, supplying 37% of the global market, projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% to reach $7.9 billion by 2027. Current CF production lines, requiring significant capital investment, are mainly accessible to large multinational companies.
Thermal treatments in CF production involve oxidative stabilization followed by carbonization and graphitization, typically powered by electric or natural gas heating. CARBOWAVE aims to disrupt this paradigm by enabling cost-effective, low-energy, continuous CF production, benefiting European SMEs.
The CARBOWAVE project addresses the high cost of CF production, primarily due to energy consumption during precursor fibre conversion. By utilizing newly developed plasma and SIMW technologies for volumetric heating, CARBOWAVE promises to meet industry needs by lowering costs, reducing energy consumption, and maintaining performance. This innovative approach aims for a 70% reduction in carbon footprint, 50% cost reduction, and 70% energy consumption reduction, transforming the composite industry and reducing Europe’s reliance on CF imports.
