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Home > Impact > Funded Projects > Carbon Nanofiber Based Composites Optimization
Carbon nanofibers (CNF) are ultrathin, pure carbon fibers that are known to be stronger but lighter than steel. Carbonova, a Calgary-based clean technology company spun out from University of Calgary has patented a unique process to generate high-purity CNF using two greenhouse gases, CO2 and methane. Its circular process and negative carbon footprint makes Carbonova’s product appealing to many potential customers. This project will blend Carbonova’s CNF with different recycled plastics to yield new composite products with properties that are the same or better than fresh plastics
This project focuses on the industrial plastics polypropylene and polyketone. Polypropylene is one of the most used plastics in the world, but with extremely low recycling rates. Polyketone is a high-performance plastic used for heavy industrial applications including in the Alberta oil and gas industry, but large quantities of polyketone discard are simply sent to landfill instead of remelting and reusing it. Carbonova’s partners on this project include two large end-users of these plastics.