Driving Towards SUStainability: Transforming DiscArded FIshing Nets and Biobased CompositEs into Automotive ADvancements
In the SUSTAINED project, a team of universities collaborated with Stellantis to assess the technical feasibility of recycling discarded fishing nets and carbon fibers from epoxy resins, as well as the production of biochar from various waste biomass, in order to obtain raw materials for the automotive sector. Using discarded fishing nets as raw material for auto components can reduce the need for petroleum-derived plastics and combat marine pollution.
The optimized SUSTAINED composite, based on recycled fishing nets and recycled carbon fibers, would have a carbon footprint about 150% lower than that of a virgin nylon 6 composite reinforced with 10% virgin carbon fiber, while maintaining the same mechanical performance. The project has demonstrated that it is possible to produce thermoplastic composites from recycled materials with mechanical performance comparable to, if not superior to, that of the traditionally used nylon and fiberglass composites for automotive interiors.
This contributes to the concept of a circular economy, maintaining a low carbon footprint and showing potential market opportunities for these end-of-life materials, while also providing a solution for disposing of discarded fishing nets. The excellent results of the project address the challenges of the automotive industry, promoting greater use of recycled plastics in low environmental impact vehicles and responding to the problem of dwindling petroleum resources.
