Interview with Oriol Grau, CEO of BCircular, a start-up dedicated to the development and exploitation of technologies for the recycling of composite materials to provide solutions to the problem of carbon fiber and composites.

Could you briefly explain to us what the company's activity is?

We are dedicated to developing solutions for the recycling of composites. They are fiberglass or carbon plastics that have different components and it is very difficult to recycle them because it is a very resistant material with very high mechanical properties. Resistance is what makes recycling more complex. Currently there is a problem on a global scale with the recycling of this material, because a very high volume of tons is generated. We are talking about really very, very high numbers for a material that is used in a conglomerate of different sectors, such as the automotive, nautical and aeronautical industries, the wind sector...

What are the solutions you offer to recycle these materials?

We carry out a thermochemical process that allows us to apply different heat curves in a controlled atmosphere from which we obtain high quality clean fibers.

 Is it a very complex process?

It is a complex process because there are many stages involved. The aim is to remove the resin without damaging the fiberglass or carbon fiber, and it is very difficult because you have to have an ideal thermal balance to remove the maximum percentage of resin without compromising the fiber of the residue itself. It is complex because if you apply little heat to it, it does not recycle well and if you spend too much time with the heat, you end up damaging the fiber and it does not have quality.

Where do you deliver these solutions?

Now we are developing the technology on a pilot scale, but we are working with companies from different sectors, such as aeronautics, parts suppliers of aircraft, companies in the automotive sector, hockey...

Had something been done or did you start from scratch? 

There are different technologies that are in a state of development. It is a global problem and many companies and technology centers are trying to find solutions, but we currently know from first hand that no company exists that is giving way to this type of waste. It's a global problem that affects many secondary sectors.

Do you do it alone?

We collaborate with different technology centers. We work with the CSIC and have a direct relationship with Eurecat. We have projects with different centers.

Right now what is the status of the development of these solutions? 

We are scaling and automating the process. We also have different projects underway. One of these is the international consortium VIBES, formed by thirteen entities from seven countries. The project is focused on bio-based materials, where we create the composites of the future. What we do is develop advanced materials with bio-based resin. These are new composites that already bring easy recyclability to DNA.

Is this technology in the final phase already?

We are working in a pre-industrial plant, not yet fully industrialized, but we are already making everything faster, lowering the costs of the process and making the system d 'operations is 100% optimized and all phases of the process and the post-process are faster.

When could this solution be applied?

We hope that in a few months we will have the technology in fully functional.

Where can it be applied?

We are working on it. Our main market is partly the aeronautical industry, such as companies that supply Airbus, and we are also recycling automotive material. We have a project aimed at the automotive industry.

You were the first to recycle a wind turbine blade. How did you go about recycling a blade 44 meters long and weighing 6.2 tons?

We obtained a project financed by the Catalan Waste Agency that allowed us to recycle the first shovel in Spain.

Was it very complicated?

There were different components that made it complex. What we did was split the blade in the wind farm with an environmental manager so that the operations were not affected. They loaded all the material onto a truck train, brought it to our facility and we recycled it. It is not the biggest project in which we have participated, but it was a leap into the void because we had little capacity. There were some fears but we were clear that it had to be done, that solutions had to be found.

This process you mentioned could be applied to the practice?

We have a connection with the big operators and yes there are many projects underway, but honestly it has not been applied yet. Currently taking it to the landfill remains the easiest. Our technology is valid for the wind sector, but we are more interested in looking towards other sectors where recycling is more viable. The commercial exit is the most complicated, because carbon fiber has a very high price.

Which makes recycling very difficult...  

When a company has to use or incorporate a new material, always look at the price and that it is a homogeneous material. Using a recycled material is more complex because it is more expensive. A virgin material is very cheaply priced and everyone goes there. Recycling wind turbine blades has a very high price and this makes the resulting product very expensive. 

So right now they are not being recycling this type of material?

There are variations in the sources, but what they tell us is that there are no companies that can give cover When we talk about recycled fiber we talk about fiber scraps, but not final products as such. In the case of the final product, 95 to 97% of the material is not recycled. And the small percentage that is recycled is for tests to use the resulting materials to make other products.

Will it be a slow process?

We will have no other choice but to get into it. In the matter of the fiber of life I see it as more complex.

What could be done to facilitate the recycling of materials?< /p>

Today there is a lot of help to encourage companies to try to get rid of or recycle the material. But at the same time management costs are increasing... I can't predict what will happen, but little by little it is moving in that direction. There is aid aimed at recycling wind turbine blades, but the issue is more complex and does not only affect the wind sector.

In which other sectors should action be taken?

Today the focus is on wind turbine blades due to their volume, but the wind sector is the tip of the iceberg. If we go to the nautical sector we will see that the number of leisure boats that exist worldwide is very high. And all this goes to the landfill.

Has nothing been done focused on this sector?

We presented the Nautitech and won the competition. Although we are now focused on carbon fiber recycling, we would love to grow and embrace sectors such as yachting. One of our goals is for Barcelona to be a benchmark in recycling. We cannot do it right now due to dimensions, but we would love to be a success story and replicate it globally. Another example of where we would like to have a presence would be the Circuit de Catalunya, which is considered a benchmark in the environment. The one we are starting to work with is the International Aeronautical Platform, which is the world's top reference in aircraft dismantling.  The airport of Teruel is part of the European consortium we mentioned earlier, VIBES.

What else are you working on?

We are working with automotive themes. We are also in a national consortium led by BCN 3D. This project, called VIVALDI, is focused on the recycling of different waste for the production of filament for the additive and 3D industry. What we do is recycle carbon fiber to create a new filament.

Do you do any activities at an international level?

Apart from the international consortium VIBES we are working with Italian, English and American companies. They all share the same problem of recycling.

Would you say that recycling materials is much more important now?

One of the things that we are doing very well at this moment in history is that the life cycle of products is finally taken into account. It didn't happen before and now all products already incorporate the concept of recyclability, which must be very marked from the initial phase. This is very good news. We cannot afford to miss this train. In the case of composites, we have manufactured great products with very good performance without taking into account what happens when the useful life is over. Now this paradigm is changing.

And it has been a matter of a few years... 

Yes, climate change and even COVID-19 have made people see that they need to look beyond. We have an obligation to be optimistic. Our company was born solely to turn all this around, from the conviction that we have a problem that we need to solve. Even if it's risky we have to go this way. 

Do you see real international will to go this way?

Yes. The changes at the political level have been what have moved everything. Obviously companies only focus on costs, and more so in times of crisis, but the leverage has been the governments and the European guidelines, which have said that in a few years all these materials must be recyclable. We have been told: assemble it however you want, but within five years the wind turbine blades will no longer be able to end up in the landfill. That's what turned us on. Before there was interest, now there is the will to recycle.

What future do you see for this paradigm in the short and long term?

I am an optimist. More and more materials will come out that incorporate more sustainable elements. At the same time, there will beproducts or elements of a more structural type, such as airplanes, which may not be able to afford the luxury of going to more sustainable materials but will enable solutions to recycle them. There is no doubt that we are moving towards sustainability, but the consumer will have the last word. The power of the consumer must be highly valued. What do I want to buy? Why do I want to opt in? For a system that pollutes or for a more sustainable one?

You have been part of the MAV Cluster since 2019. What are the advantages of being part of the cluster? How has it benefited you?

For us, joining the MAV Cluster was very positive. As a small company, it allowed us to put ourselves on the map, have visibility and talk one-on-one with companies where we would not have had the possibility to reach. In addition, all the activities that take place and the working groups are very beneficial to us and, in fact, we have articulated different projects that have come about thanks to the MAV. The Cluster allows us to see the problems that companies have, what we can contribute, what shortcomings we have that other companies in the Cluster can solve... It also helps us a lot in terms of being able to obtain financing. The projects that have come out of the Cluster have been very beneficial to us.