Composites Recycling

1 May 2024, 2-3 pm

Speaker 1: Tim Young, Head of Sustainability at UK National Composites Centre.

Talk title: Composite recycling: What “should” we do? vs What “can” we do?

Abstract: The Green Alliance predicts that over 450,000 jobs could be created in a circular economy by 2035. This represents a significant growth opportunity for the UK manufacturing industry, which currently relies heavily upon imported, insecure and high impact materials. Establishing circular economies to support the composites industries is and should be viewed as a national imperative to preserve the competitiveness of our manufacturing industries.
This presentation will cover the findings and recommendations from some of the NCC’s circularity programmes, exploring both the technical and supply chain capabilities. It will highlight the complex trade-offs between what can be achieved and what should be achieved.

Biography: Tim is the Head of Sustainable Technologies at the National Composites Centre (NCC) and serves as a Visiting Industrial Professor at the Bristol Composites Institute. Over the past decade, he has been dedicated to supporting NCC’s core business in delivering composite solutions for net zero applications and is currently responsible for the NCC’s Sustainable materials and technology portfolio.

Prior to joining the NCC, Tim worked at the National Physical Laboratory as an Advanced Research Scientist after pursuing his EngD in Micro-and Nano-Materials and Technologies. In 2019 Tim played a pivotal role in establishing and delivering the NCC Sustainable Composites Initiative in collaboration with the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI). This initiative aims to accelerate the transition to a circular composite material supply chain, covering fundamental materials, design, manufacturing and end-of-life technologies.

Tim Young - Composites Perspectives Slides (PDF, 2,682kB)

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Speaker 2: Nancy Sottos, Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.

Talk title: Regenerative Energy-Efficient Manufacturing of Thermoset Polymers and Composites

‌Abstract: Thermoset polymers and composites possess the necessary chemical and mechanical properties critical for achieving lightweight, durable structures in the energy, aerospace, and transportation industries, but the vast energy input required for initial manufacture (Gigajoules), long cure times to develop desired structural properties (hours), and lack of end-of-life strategies render these materials unsustainable. Given increasing environmental concerns surrounding both the production and disposal of thermoset polymers, transformative strategies are required for sustainable low-energy manufacturing and end-of-life management. This talk will describe research into thermoset resin formulations that enable energy-efficient additive manufacturing via frontal polymerization and programmed end-of-life upcycling for (re)use in structural materials.

B‌iography: Nancy Sottos holds the Maybelle Leland Swanlund Endowed Chair in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She is leader of the Autonomous Materials Systems (AMS) group at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, director of the EFRC on Regenerative Energy Efficient Manufacturing of Thermoset Polymeric Materials (REMAT), and director of the University of Illinois spoke of the BP International Center for Advanced Materials (ICAM). She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.

 Nancy Sottos - Composites Perspectives Slides (PDF, 4,889kB)