Enzymatic degradation of epoxy resins: An approach for recycling of carbon fiber reinforced polymers

Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs), particularly epoxy resins, are increasingly applied in innovative products nowadays. At the end of the life cycle of those products, CFRP waste has to be disposed in an ecological way. As of today, no energy effective recycling method is available to recover the valuable carbon fibers in a good quality. The presented study aims to exploit the ability of biological systems in order to efficiently and specifically degrade the polymer and release carbon fibers with minimal material strain. In a first approach environmental microorganisms for degrading the polymer component of epoxy composites into small fragments have to be identified. An analytical method will be developed to identify and quantify the polymer degradation. In a following step, the enzymes that are produced by the microorganisms and are essential for the polymer degradation will be identified, cloned, produced in a high amount and characterized in CFRP recycling studies.