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Case Study

Cubis Systems + University of Strathclyde

Developing the recycling technology of glass-reinforced products (GRPs). 

Cubis Systems

Cubis are part of larger company called CRH, an international provider of buildingmaterials. Sister companies within the CRH group are involved in construction ofwindfarms in partnership with developers/operators (Farrans), and large-scalecement production (Tarmac). These sister companies will also benefit from thetechnology that this KTP is designed to transfer; by turning waste GRP products into a supply of material for new products. This KTP project will reduce the overallimpact that the CRH group has on the environment, by embedding technology thatallows CRH to reuse materials and massively reduce the amount of materialsbeing sent to landfill.

Cubis logo

What was the need?

The Challenge

The GRP waste imposes a challenge for sustainable waste management approaches since they are hard-to-recycle materials, a composite of fibres and various polymers, and diverse in application, types, and composition. This is a technical barrier for developing a reliable and viable recycling technology that can handle most of the GRP waste streams.

In addition to the material characteristics and lack of a sustainable and commercially viable recycling technology, several market challenges hinder the development of the GRP recycling technology in industrial scale. Examples are uncertainty regarding the waste volume to be supplied consistently in the coming years, and low confidence of the end users, GRP manufacturers, in adopting the recycled glass fibres instead of the virgin glass fibres in their manufacturing lines. The last one is due to the different mechanical and physical characteristics of the recycled glass fibres compared to the virgin glass fibres. Therefore, the challenges exist at both ends of the recycling roadmap.

What did we do?

The Solution

This project aims to investigate the challenges in recycling technology, the diverse characteristics of GRP waste, and the different mechanical and physical properties of the produced glass fibres compared to virgin fibres used in manufacturing new GRPs.

Regarding the recycling technology, the project is based on the recently developed GRP recycling pilot, developed through collaboration between CUBIS Systems, Innovate UK, and the University of Strathclyde. Recycling trials for different types of GRP wastes will be conducted to improve and optimise the process and register the challenges that need to be addressed for a larger recycling plant towards commercialisation. Recycling trials of various GRP wastes will shed light on their material characteristics and the required measures to recycle them. The produced glass fibres from recycling these GRP wastes will be reused in making new GRP types in lab-scale manufacturing lines through collaboration with other researchers and PhD students in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University.

What changed?

The Impacts and Benefits

Impact to the Company

  • In-depth research undertaken by the Associate with respect to pre-treatment of GRP waste relevant to both mechanical and thermal recycling, relevant to both Cubis and sister company Tarmac’s ongoing recycling activities.
  • Business plan/model developed by Cubis is being further refined by the Associate to help refine/bolster the case for further investment in technology scale-up.
  • Provided significant input into the composite waste market sizing report for internal stakeholders.
  • Actively engaged with external stakeholders who have expressed interest in supporting the KTP.
  • Providing fibres to separate the IAA project, which began in May 2025, focused on rGF product development (to help bolster the case for scale-up).
  • Cubis internal BMC/SMC waste was tried to be recycled using the pilot for the first time, which demonstrated new challenges to be addressed.
  • Preliminary carbon fibre recycling trials for the first time using the recycling pilot.

 

Impacts to the Academic Team

  • Provided rGF to other parallel projects in the group, such as IAA and PhD and enabled parts of their activity to move forward.
  • Established the new cold experimental rig, which enabled us to launch fundamental experimental campaigns regarding the recycling technology.
  • Although in its early stage, the continued effort in developing this novel fibre pre-forming method could give rise to opportunities for new research, IP, and projects.
  • Networking and engagement with other companies helped the university understand the needs of industry and, in turn, factor them into our approach to creating solutions.
  • Submitted an abstract to the 20th ECCM, one of the largest conferences on composite materials, and a paper in a peer-reviewed journal as the lead author.

 

Impacts to the KTP Associate 

  1. Continuing the Associate’s research and efforts in designing and manufacturing the GRP recycling systems.
  2. Attending residential modules and other courses to progress with an organised career development plan.
  3. Easier networking and market exposure to the relevant businesses and industries.
  4. Opportunities to innovate in composite recycling technology.
  5. Enhanced collaboration with the group’s researchers and PhD students to investigate the recycling of glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites and carbon fibre composites, which is not in the core KTP work plan.

The People

Meet the Team

Ramin Moradi

Dr Liu Yang

Richard Diskin

  • Company Supervisor