Recovery of carbon fiber reinforced polymer via superheated steam pyrolysis： mechanisms， properties， and prospects

GUO Xiang; ZHANG Meng; LI Tian; XU Guodong; LI Yang; CHEN Da

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202608005

Volume 44 Issue 8

Aug. 2026

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GUO Xiang, ZHANG Meng, LI Tian, XU Guodong, LI Yang, CHEN Da. Recovery of carbon fiber reinforced polymer via superheated steam pyrolysis： mechanisms， properties， and prospects[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(8): 42-50. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608005

Citation:

GUO Xiang, ZHANG Meng, LI Tian, XU Guodong, LI Yang, CHEN Da. Recovery of carbon fiber reinforced polymer via superheated steam pyrolysis： mechanisms， properties， and prospects[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(8): 42-50. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608005

Citation:

GUO Xiang, ZHANG Meng, LI Tian, XU Guodong, LI Yang, CHEN Da. Recovery of carbon fiber reinforced polymer via superheated steam pyrolysis： mechanisms， properties， and prospects[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(8): 42-50. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608005

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Recovery of carbon fiber reinforced polymer via superheated steam pyrolysis： mechanisms， properties， and prospects

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608005

GUO Xiang^1,2,
ZHANG Meng³,
LI Tian⁴,
XU Guodong⁴,
LI Yang⁵,
CHEN Da^{1,2
,
,}

1. Science and Technology Innovation Research Institute, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China;
2. Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Civil Aviation Energy-Environment and Green Development, Tianjin 300300, China;
3. School of Safety Science and Engineering, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China;
4. School of Transportation Science and Engineering, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China;
5. Aeronautical Engineering Institute, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China

Received Date: 2026-02-10

Abstract

Abstract

The increasing volume of end-of-life carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP） and the high energy consumption and emissions associated with virgin fiber production underscore an urgent need for low-carbon recycling technologies. As an emerging and rapidly developing method， superheated steam pyrolysis for carbon fiber recovery is systematically reviewed in this paper. The synergistic “hydrothermal-weak oxidation” mechanism of superheated steam at 450 to 500 ℃ enables controlled resin cracking and simultaneous char removal. The effects of key parameters， including temperature， oxygen concentration， residence time， and the coupling of CO₂/steam two-step processes， on the mechanical， surface， and electrical properties of recycled carbon fiber（rCF） are summarized. A “low-temperature， short-duration， micro-oxygen” process is proposed to retain over 90% of the tensile strength of rCF. A comparison of laboratory-， pilot-， and industrial-scale setups highlights the need to address exhaust gas treatment， adaptability to multi-component waste， and energy integration during process scale-up. Life cycle assessment （LCA） confirms that this recycling route can reduce energy consumption by approximately 25% and carbon emissions by about 30%， compared to landfilling/incineration， demonstrating environmental and economic advantages. Future research should focus on establishing product databases， optimizing distributed recycling networks， and developing unified LCA frameworks to provide standardized technical support and decision-making tools for CFRP closed-loop recycling.
- superheated steam,
- carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP）,
- pyrolysis recovery,
- recycled carbon fiber （rCF）,
- life cycle assessment （LCA）

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References(43)

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