Introduction to Composites Sustainability

It was thought that the use of composite materials would lead to a net positive environmental impact through their use in aircraft, wind turbines, and hydrogen pressure vessels, among other applications. The reality is that most manufacturing practices used to produce these composite parts are highly inefficient, producing copious amounts of waste for which we have limited solutions outside of landfilling or incineration. Structures reaching their end-of-life represent a more daunting challenge as they are often contaminated with other materials.

In this webinar, we will first take a look at the current status of composites manufacturing and end-of-life waste across several key sectors. We will then illustrate the challenges recyclers face, look at current academic and industrial sustainability efforts, and close with perspectives on the possibility of a circular economy within our community.

Presenter:

Adam Smith
Department of Mechanical Engineering, ETS
University of Quebec

This presentation is part of the ongoing CKN webinar series. Content discussed in the webinar is linked to the Knowledge in Practice Centre, allowing users to access this and other content in a consistent and coherent manner.

This webinar is co-hosted by Composites Knowledge Network (CKN) and SAMPE Canada