Using microwave energy to cut carbon fiber production energy costs

A research team at the University of Limerick in Ireland has developed a new method of producing carbon fiber while drastically reducing its energy footprint.

Researchers at UL are leading a project that has developed a new method of producing carbon fiber, a high-cost lightweight material used in sectors such as aerospace, wind energy, construction, and transportation.

The CARBOWAVE project uses an innovative plasma and microwave heating method to make carbon fiber, replacing the conventional heating processes and significantly reducing energy consumption by as much as 70% while maintaining the materials’ performance.

The reduction in the energy required to produce the material will make the process greener and less expensive.

The ambitious new project, coordinated by UL’s Professor Maurice N Collins and Dr. Anne Beaucamp McLoughlin, is set to transform the energy-intensive carbon fiber industry by deploying cutting-edge alternative heating technologies.

The advancement, the first results of which were published in the Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials Journal, will help to address environmental challenges like energy consumption and emissions while also contributing to sustainable industrial growth.

The advancements developed by the research team will enable a more efficient conversion of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a key component in carbon fiber production, which needs a vast amount of energy to be converted into carbon fibers and is a strategic material vital for Europe’s future energy security.

The CARBOWAVE team will use susceptor-induced microwave heating utilizing self-assembled nanostructures technology, initially developed by researchers at the University of Limerick and University of Valencia, to convert PAN into carbon fiber. This will allow it to be heated quicker, making the production process more efficient.

Remarkably, during their research, the UL team discovered that carbon fiber can be produced in an inexpensive domestic microwave and exhibit mechanical performance equivalent to that produced using conventional heating.

Professor Maurice Collins, principal investigator on the project and Professor of Materials Science in UL’s School of Engineering, explained, “Europe’s reliance on energy-intensive processes has long been a barrier to achieving sustainability. CARBOWAVE addresses this challenge and is an exciting project which offers the potential to produce more sustainable and cheaper carbon fiber.

“The long-term implications are enormous as it could allow the deployment of carbon fiber in all sorts of applications where high strength and stiffness are needed from construction, transportation, hydrogen storage to wind energy and beyond.”

Co-principal investigator Dr. Anne Beaucamp McLoughlin, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at UL, explained that the project “aims to revolutionize the carbon fiber industry by significantly reducing the energy consumption and the cost of the carbon conversion process without losing their mechanical properties.

“This project will allow for carbon fiber production to be more energy efficient, faster and cheaper, and to significantly reduce their environmental footprint.”

Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs), derived from carbon fiber, are crucial in sectors like wind energy, construction, and transportation. The light weighting capabilities of CFRPs enhance wind turbine efficiency, support decarbonization in construction, and improve fuel efficiency in transport, particularly electric vehicles.

However, current carbon fiber production is highly energy-intensive and relies heavily on electricity and natural gas.

CARBOWAVE’s solutions aim to reduce this energy use by over 70% while maintaining material performance. Europe’s advanced carbon materials market, which dominates 37% of the global market, will directly benefit from this groundbreaking initiative.

Professor Collins added, “This project promises to unlock the broader industrial use of carbon fiber by drastically reducing its production costs and environmental footprint.

“CARBOWAVE represents a step toward decarbonizing Europe’s energy-intensive industries. By integrating plasma and microwave heating technologies, the project not only addresses immediate challenges like energy consumption and emissions but also paves the way for sustainable industrial growth.”

The project unites leading research institutions and industry partners across Europe to drive this transformative change with the research team at UL partnering with the Deutsche Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung in Germany, the University of Valencia, Spain, Fraunhofer IFAM in Germany, Microwave Technologies Consulting SAS in France, Muegge GmbH in Germany, Centro Ricerche Fiat in Italy, Juno Composite Ltd in Ireland, and Eirecomposites Ltd, also Ireland, form the CARBOWAVE consortium.