A biological method to recycle natural fiber-composite systems

Researchers at the Center for Renewable Carbon at the University of Tennessee have developed an enzymatic recycling method to break down natural fiber-petroleum composite materials. Natural fiber-petroleum composites are often made of cellulose fibers from plants and petroleum-derived polymers like polypropylene. This novel recycling method enables efficient recovery of virgin-like polypropylene while generating a sugar stream from the cellulose fibers that can also be commercially utilized. After exposure to the enzyme system under controlled conditions, sugar in the form of glucose is released into solution, while virgin-like polypropylene is recovered from the solid fraction by centrifugation or filtration. This enzymatic recycling method has been developed in a batch system with potential for adaptation to a continuous process for improved efficiency.