--- title: "Closing the Carbon Fiber Loop" id: "2421" type: "post" slug: "closing-the-carbon-fiber-loop" published_at: "2023-11-08T15:58:45+00:00" modified_at: "2023-11-08T17:06:40+00:00" url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2023/11/closing-the-carbon-fiber-loop-002421/" markdown_url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2023/11/closing-the-carbon-fiber-loop-002421.md" excerpt: "The V-Carbon technology is based on a patented “chemolysis” recycling process and offers up to 85% of carbon fiber's original strength." taxonomy_category: - "3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing" - "Aerospace" - "Automation" - "Automotive & Transportation" - "Business" - "Circular Economy" - "Composites" - "Design" - "Electric Vehicles" - "Energy Generation" - "Industry" - "Recyclate" - "Recycling" - "Resins" - "Sports & Recreation" - "Sustainability" - "Thermoforming" - "Thermosets" - "Trending" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Automotive/Transportation" - "Carbon fiber" - "Chemical Recycling" - "Composites" - "Design" - "Electric Vehicles" - "Plastics Waste" - "Recycling" - "Sustainability" - "Thermoforming" - "Thermosets" --- [Home](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/) » [News](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/news/) » [Industry](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/c/industry/) » Closing the Carbon Fiber Loop # Closing the Carbon Fiber Loop ### The industry widely uses this composite, but faces persistent waste and end-of-life issues due to a lack of circular sustainability. Carbon Fiber has played a pivotal role in fueling the growth of the aerospace and automotive industries, and several advanced manufacturing sectors have come to depend on it. According to analyses conducted by [Data Bridge Market Research](https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-carbon-fiber-market) , this market is projected to reach $9.27 billion by 2030. ## Reduce waste and carbon emissions The increase in CF applications has led to the production of a significant amount of waste. Roughly 30% of CF becomes waste during production, and valuable CF waste often ends up in landfills. As CF is mostly a thermoset, it is expensive to process the post-consumer carbon fiber into pyrolysis or incineration. However, to [reduce the CO2 footprint and eliminate waste, we need a sustainable approach to carbon fiber](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2023/10/biobased-polymers-and-natural-fibers-cut-carbon-emissions-002316/#!) . Several institutions have undertaken a few initiatives to recycle CF waste; however, the mechanical properties of this recycled material are lower than those of virgin CF. Recently, the company V Carbon announced a carbon-fiber recycling solution. ## Carbon fiber recycling in the F1 Moreover, the V-Carbon technology is based on a patented “chemolysis” recycling in which CF and chemical resins are repurposed. Furthermore, V Carbon has partnered with McLaren to evaluate the utilization of recycled carbon in its MCL60. Kim Wilson, McLaren’s Director of Sustainability, observes that V Carbon offers 85% of carbon fiber’s original strength, ideal for F1 applications. A successful trial will pave the way for this technology’s adoption in various industries, including aerospace and energy production. By **[Juliana Montoya](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/jmontoyaplasticsengineering-org/)** | November 8, 2023 [https://www.plasticsengineering.org](https://www.plasticsengineering.org) ##### [Juliana Montoya](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/jmontoyaplasticsengineering-org/) [Website](https://www.plasticsengineering.org) | [+ postsBio ⮌](#) ### Other posts you could read [April 29, 2026Renewable Functional Coatings for Advanced Applications](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/renewable-functional-coatings-for-advanced-applications-011134/) [April 30, 2026Upcycling Polyolefins into Jet Fuel Components](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/upcycling-polyolefins-into-jet-fuel-components-011138/) [April 13, 2026Upcycling PET Through Artificial Photosynthesis](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/upcycling-pet-through-artificial-photosynthesis-010940/) [May 1, 2026High-Viscosity Photopolymers Transform Additive Manufacturing](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/high-viscosity-photopolymers-transform-additive-manufacturing-011153/) [April 10, 2026In Vivo Plastic Waste Upcycling](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/in-vivo-plastic-waste-upcycling-010935/) [April 27, 2026Nanocomposite Films from Car Bumper Waste](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/nanocomposite-films-from-car-bumper-waste-011041/) [April 9, 2026FlexForum 2026 Brings Flexible Packaging Leaders to Fort Myers](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/flexforum-2026-brings-flexible-packaging-leaders-to-fort-myers-011346/) [May 6, 2026Reinforcement Learning for Polymer Design and Manufacturing](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/reinforcement-learning-for-polymer-design-and-manufacturing-011146/) ## Share Your Thoughts [Cancel reply](/2023/11/closing-the-carbon-fiber-loop-002421/#respond) - [https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&text=Closing+the+Carbon+Fiber+Loop&via=Plastics_Mag](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&text=Closing+the+Carbon+Fiber+Loop&via=Plastics_Mag) - [https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&t=Closing+the+Carbon+Fiber+Loop](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&t=Closing+the+Carbon+Fiber+Loop) - [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&title=Closing%20the%20Carbon%20Fiber%20Loop&summary=The+V-Carbon+technology+is+based+on+a+patented+%E2%80%9Cchemolysis%E2%80%9D+recycling+process+and+offers+up+to+85%25+of+carbon+fiber%27s+original+strength.&source=Plastics+Engineering](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&title=Closing%20the%20Carbon%20Fiber%20Loop&summary=The+V-Carbon+technology+is+based+on+a+patented+%E2%80%9Cchemolysis%E2%80%9D+recycling+process+and+offers+up+to+85%25+of+carbon+fiber%27s+original+strength.&source=Plastics+Engineering) - [https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&title=Closing+the+Carbon+Fiber+Loop](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=2421&title=Closing+the+Carbon+Fiber+Loop) - [/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c236f697e76797f68214c707d6f68757f6f3c59727b757279796e75727b3c313c5f70736f75727b3c6874793c5f7d6e7e73723c5a757e796e3c5073736c3a7e737865217468686c6f2633336b6b6b326c707d6f68757f6f79727b757279796e75727b32736e7b33236c212e282e2d](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c236f697e76797f68214c707d6f68757f6f3c59727b757279796e75727b3c313c5f70736f75727b3c6874793c5f7d6e7e73723c5a757e796e3c5073736c3a7e737865217468686c6f2633336b6b6b326c707d6f68757f6f79727b757279796e75727b32736e7b33236c212e282e2d) - [#comments](#comments)