Trek Bicycle is ready to make use of the scrap carbon fibers piled up since last two decades while producing their high-end light weight bicycles. Trek has recently completed a three-month trial program with South Carolina-based Materials Innovation Technologies and its subsidiary, MIT-RCF to check viability of adopting the carbon reclamation step as an official part of the manufacturing process.
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Trek started producing light weight bikes using molded carbon fibers since 1992. Though these smart bikes weighed less than 1.5 kg, its manufacture procedure caused to litter tons of carbon fiber scraps. These were never reused to make anything apart from stuffing landfills because of various technological limitations. But the new technology revolutionized carbon recycling processes. The recycled carbon fiber is now used in various reinforced thermoplastic applications. In this instance, Trek and MIT-RCF avoid providing more precise details on how the reclaimed carbon fiber would be used. They are also engaged in serious research and development for reusing the fiber in automotive, aerospace, medical and recreational applications.
A report says that Trek is dispatching around 1,590 - 2,040 kg of scrap per month. The scraps include frames and parts that have been tested or broken in testing, uncured trimmings, out-of-spec molded parts, etc.
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An annual estimate says that Trek and MIT-RCF's collaborative project will keep 24,500 kg of scrap carbon fiber in some sort of useful circulation.
Source: CCN / Bike Radar
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