Toray Advanced Composites, Daher, and Tarmac are launching a new end-of-life aerospace recycling program for commercial aircraft production. The collaborative project, supported by Airbus, aims to develop a closed-loop recycling system for composite materials. The initial focus is on reutilizing secondary structural thermoplastic parts from end-of-life Airbus A380 aircraft. The program will test and validate recycled material recovery practices, with the A380’s 10,000 parts made from continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites making it an ideal platform. Toray Advanced Composites, as a materials supplier, will monitor material quality, while Daher will lead the reshaping and quality of repurposed parts. The pilot case will focus on the end-of-life recycling of the A380 pylon cover, a thermoplastic composite structure. The goal is to explore new opportunities for recycling technology development and reduce the industry’s environmental impact. According to Scott Unger, CEO of Toray Advanced Composites, thermoplastic materials offer great potential for recycling, and this initiative aims to reuse and reintegrate high-performance materials into other structural aerospace applications.
Enhancing the recycling process for composite materials used in Airbus aircraft
