Recycling research finds new process to transform glass fiber-reinforced plastic into silicon carbide

March 04, 2024

According to a study published in Nature Sustainability, Rice University researchers and collaborators have developed a new, energy-efficient upcycling method to transform glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) into silicon carbide, widely used in semiconductors, sandpaper, and other products."That high temperature facilitates the transformation of the plastic and carbon to silicon carbide," Tour explained. "We can make two different kinds of silicon carbide, which can be used for different applications.Tour said when he learned of the issues involved with GFRP disposal from colleagues at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, he thought that this kind of turbo-heating could transform GFRP into silicon carbide, widely used in semiconductors and sandpaper.

From:Phys.org