Current Status and Prospects of Resource Recycling Technology for Fiber-Reinforced Polymers in the New Energy Industry
摘要
Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs), composed of reinforcing fibers and resin matrices, exhibit outstanding characteristics such as low density, high strength, corrosion resistance, and superior mechanical performance. With the large-scale application of FRPs in the renewable energy industry, such as wind turbine blades (WTBs), nacelles, photovoltaic brackets, electric vehicle components, and battery storage enclosures, the decommissioning of large-scale FRP structures has become an increasingly pressing issue. The complex composition of end-of-life materials, the inherent difficulty in separating thermosetting resins, and the underdeveloped recycling infrastructure make it crucial to achieve efficient and environmentally friendly recycling, prevent environmental pollution, and facilitate circular resource recovery. This article focuses on recycling solutions for FRPs in the renewable energy sector, systematically reviewing recycling technologies and highlighting innovations in three main process types: mechanical, pyrolytic, and chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling technologie, through intelligent precision cutting and automatic sorting, effectively reduce fiber damage and enhance the application potential of recycled materials. Pyrolysis recycling technologies encompass high-temperature pyrolysis, fluidized bed pyrolysis, and microwave-assisted pyrolysis. By precisely controlling the temperature and reaction atmosphere, they significantly reduce thermal damage to fibers, yielding a fiber performance retention rate of over 90%; the resulting pyrolysis oil and gas are reused as valuable resources. Chemical recycling technologies, such as chemical swelling and supercritical fluid processes, achieve efficient fiber recovery by selectively breaking the chemical bonds at the resin-fiber interface. This study further highlights the development trends in fiber repair and interfacial modification technologies. Intermediate repair techniques, such as sol-gel coating, plasm