Asphaltene derived carbon fibre reinforced lightweight composites via additive manufacturing

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With ~180 billion barrels of bitumen reserves in Alberta, a considerable amount of asphaltenes (~15-20% by weight) are present within these bitumen. Asphaltenes, being highly carbon-rich low-value by-products, hold great promise to serve as a cheap feedstock for a wide variety of non-combustible, high-value products with diverse applications. Over the past two years, we have been developing a technology to produce high-value carbon fibres from low-value asphaltenes. Currently, we are able to produce asphaltene-derived carbon fibres with variable diameters ~7-20 µm, strength >1000 MPa, modulus >100 GPa and yield ~1000 meter/min. Building on this success, in this proposed project, we aim to exploit these asphaltene-derived CFs to produce low-cost and lightweight carbon fibre reinforced composites (CFRCs) using additive manufacturing (AM) approaches. The two primary objectives are to produce asphaltene-derived CFRCs using 3D printing techniques, as well as tailoring the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the carbon fibres and thermoplastic polymer matrix to achieve competitive mechanical and thermal performance. Moreover, our project will also focus on rigorous performance testing and developing first-of-its-kind prototype of the asphaltene-derived CFRCs. Successful implementation of this project will valorize low-value asphaltenes to produce lightweight composites using additive manufacturing at a significantly lower cost and greenhouse gas emissions versus incumbent polyacrylonitrile based carbon fibres with applications in various industries, including automotive, energy, and other lightweight applications (i.e., sports and recreation). Overall, the development of low-cost CFRCs from asphaltenes will generate new employment opportunities, protect Alberta's Oil Sands industries from declining fossil fuel demand, and increase investment in Alberta and Canada by fostering opportunities for collaboration and partnerships between the Oil Sands and the composite industries.