IN A first for aviation, Singapore company Nandina REM (Nandina) will recycle carbon fibre from retired aircraft for use in new aircraft.

While other companies already produce such recycled carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), this is typically of a lower quality than virgin carbon fibre and has not been used in new aircraft before.

Nandina announced the debut of its recycled carbon fibre material, which will be used for non-critical aircraft components as well as electric vehicles (EVs) on Monday (Feb 19) and it will be present at the Singapore Airshow 2024, which runs from Feb 20 to 25.

The company recycles materials from decommissioned aircraft and supplies them to the aviation industry. It also has a platform for tracing the source, delivery, location, and uses of its recycled materials.

Nandina said its proprietary low-temperature, solvent-based process can reclaim large amounts of carbon fibre that retain the same mechanical properties as its virgin counterpart. These can be used for aircraft components such as seats and galleys.

This follows its October 2023 announcement of plans to recycle aluminium from aircraft into high-grade “low-carbon” aluminium. It is able to recycle all of the carbon fibre and most of the aluminium from aircraft.

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As aircraft and EVs share 73 per cent of the same materials, according to Nandina, the company also aims to supply to automotive manufacturers.

Chief executive officer and co-founder Karina Cady told The Business Times that there has been “strong interest” in its materials from both aviation and automotive companies, without elaborating.

Incorporated in July 2023, the company has received seed funding from angel investors which she declined to name.

“We took a conscious decision to base the company in Singapore as the government has been very supportive of innovation and it is an important hub for aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul,” Cady said.

The CFRP recycling was made possible by the “deep industry expertise” of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), which Nandina partnered, she added.

Prof Lim Keng Hui, assistant CEO of A*Star’s Science and Engineering Research Council, said: “Through capabilities in advanced manufacturing, materials and green processes, we aim to make substantial contributions to reduce emissions by partnering companies like Nandina REM.”

Nandina aims to recycle 40 aircraft in 2024 and double this number in the next two years.

It carries out its aircraft recycling in Malaysia and carbon fibre reinforced polymer reprocessing in Singapore. This year, the company plans to move to a larger carbon fibre reprocessing facility in Seletar Aerospace Park.

Compared to virgin material, reclaimed carbon fibre is generally around 70 per cent cheaper and reclaimed aluminium costs 30 to 50 per cent less, said Nandina, though it declined to comment on the specific price of its materials.

Reclaiming CFRP also uses 70 per cent less energy than making new carbon fibres.

In the future, Nandina plans to recycle CFRP and aluminium of a sufficiently high grade to be used in critical structural components of aircraft, although this could take five years or more.

Joshua Ng, director at consultancy Alton Aviation, said: “This new technology, assuming it works as claimed, is a step in the right direction for the industry and something that will be critically important to enabling recycling of parts from the new-generation aircraft as they gradually retire from service.”

While most commercial aircraft were designed decades ago and are made primarily from aluminium, new-generation aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 have around 50 per cent CFRP content, as manufacturers strive to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency, he added.

But creating a circular economy for CFRP has its challenges, Ng noted. “Significant amounts” of testing will be needed for the new parts to meet or exceed manufacturers’ standards to be used in aircraft. There must also be a sufficient and steady volume of feedstock so that aircraft manufacturers can develop supply chains around these source materials.

According to the International Air Transport Association, more than 16,000 aircraft have been retired from service in the last 35 years. Around 700 aircraft are retired each year, with 11,000 projected over the next decade.