ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd (ELG) and Land Rover BAR (Ben Ainslie Racing) are working together to ensure that the carbon fibre process waste and end-of-use components from the team are recycled as far as possible, to promote the most economic and environmentally efficient use of this valuable material.
ELG will become a technical supplier to the team and will process all carbon fibre manufacturing waste and end-of use parts to recover the high performance carbon fibres they contain.
The recovered fibres will be converted into ELG’s milled and chopped fibres which are used to make thermoset and thermoplastic compounds and nonwoven mats that are utilised in the manufacture of composite structures. Both organisations view this collaboration as a vital step in addressing the issue of global carbon consumption and raising awareness of closed loop recycling within the marine industry.
ELG’s product engineers will work closely with Land Rover BAR’s own engineering team to develop applications for the recycled carbon fibre for Great Britain’s entry in the 36th America’s Cup.
This will be achieved through the utilisation of their CARBISO™ range. The CARBISO™ products will be made entirely from reprocessed Land Rover BAR carbon components such as hull moulds, hulls and foils from boats used in past race campaigns.
With ELG’s support, Land Rover BAR hope to significantly increase the application of recycled composite materials during their next build campaign that is due to commence in 2018.
The work is based on successful feasibility studies that have shown that high quality carbon fibres can be recovered from the process waste and end-of-use parts and converted into products that are usable in the marine sector.
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04 December 2017
