CARBON FIBRE PRODUCTION VIA LOW ENERGY MICROWAVE ABSORPTION

CARBOWAVE deploys alternative heating sources i.e. plasma or microwave heating to replace conventional heating in energy intensive industries. The conversion of microwave electromagnetic radiation to heat relies on a high dielectric loss tangent (DLT). This is of importance as many of Europe’s most energy intensive industries utilise low dielectric loss raw materials. Carbon fibre (CF) which is used to produce carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP), is produced from poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) which exhibits a low DLT (0.007). CF is designated as a strategic material for Europe as it is deployed in many crucial sectors which underpin Europe’s future energy security e.g. in manufacture of light weight wind turbines for wind energy generation; in manufacture of light weight automobiles and electric vehicles for a more energy efficient Transport sector; and similarly for a more energy efficient Construction sector. Hence, CARBOWAVE will have vast economic and environmental impact. Europe dominates the advanced carbon materials market supplying 37% of the global market, which is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% to reach US$7.9 billion by 2027. Currently, the industry uses large amounts of electricity and natural gas to generate the heat necessary for conversion of PAN to CF (100–900 MJ per one kg of CF produced), limiting the industrial use of CF to high end and expensive applications. In this context, CARBOWAVE aims to drastically reduce the energy consumption, carbon emissions and production cost of CFs. This in-turn will radically transform the construction, wind energy and EV industries. CARBOWAVE will achieve this through development of two alternative heating sources; an atmospheric plasma for stabilisation of PF, and a radically new susceptor induced microwave heating technology specifically designed for increasing microwave absorption, allowing the conversion of stabilised PF to CF in a continuous production process at TRL 6.