Preserving the integrity of carbon fibers when recycling carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) has been unfeasible due to the harsh reaction conditions required to remove epoxy resin matrixes, which adversely affect the properties of carbon fibers. We establish a practicable and environmentally friendly reclamation strategy for carbon fibers. Carbon fibers are recycled from waste CFRPs by an electrochemical catalytic reaction with the assistance of phosphotungstic acid (PA), which promotes the depolymerization of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/ethylenediamine (DGEBA/EDA) epoxy resin. The removal rate, mechanical strength, and microstructure of the recycled carbon fibers are analyzed to explore the mechanism of the electrochemical treatment. The influence of three factors-current density, PA concentration, and reaction time-are studied via an orthogonal method. Range analysis and variance analysis are conducted to investigate the significance of the factors. The optimal conditions are determined accordingly. The underlying CFRP degradation mechanism is also investigated.
Keywords: degradation mechanism; electrochemical catalysis; orthogonal study; recycled carbon fibers.