Reclamation of Continuous, Pristine Carbon Fibers from Filament Wound Composite Pressure Vessels for Sustainable Hydrogen On-board Storage Applications

As the demand for carbon fibers in hydrogen storage infrastructure increases, the sustainable recycling of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs) becomes increasingly important. This study implements a low-temperature, low-pressure autoclave-based chemical recycling process that efficiently recovers continuous carbon fibers from pristine carbon-epoxy COPVs without requiring disassembly or destructive sectioning. Remarkably, this method preserved 99% of the continuous carbon fibers. However, the reclaimed fibers exhibit a slight reduction in tensile strength, approximately 15%, likely due to fraying during the recycling and handling processes. This state-of-the-art recycling approach demonstrates the potential for a sustainable closed-loop system, where reclaimed fibers can be reintegrated into the manufacturing cycle, thereby contributing to a circular economy for high-performance materials in hydrogen storage applications. Future work aims to optimize fiber recovery and cleaning processes to enhance mechanical properties and ensure scalability for broader industrial adoption.