Economic and environmental effects of precursor variation in a continuous carbon fibre manufacturing process

Commercial carbon fibre manufacture is a proprietary process which has resulted in limited information being publicly available in regard to the processing of different materials and their impact on material, environmental and economic characteristics. This study investigates the relationship between different precursor materials and these parameters through an in-depth analysis of process structures, material properties, incurred emissions, energy demand and cost composition. This study compares three important precursor types for carbon fibre manufacture including ecological and economical aspects. Two of the precursors are polyacrylonitrile based, a special carbon fibre and textile grade, while the third is a sustainably derived lignin-cellulose blend. The lower cost textile precursor has significantly higher processing cost than the specialized material while also incurring a higher amount of emissions. Indeed, up to 270% more compared to the special grade precursor. The analysis of the lignin-cellulose blend precursor illustrates its shortcomings, especially with respect to processability and properties, despite its lower environmental impact and up to 25% cost advantage. This study suggests pathways for the industrial processing of alternative precursors outlining their economic and ecological benefits and highlighting areas of necessary improvement such as material properties and energy demand.