ThreeSixFive Media Nick Bigeau and Amy Russell of Resolve Composites inspect reclaimed fiberglass laminate material they stripped of resin using their solvent-based composite materials recycling process.
Renewable composite materials remain some of the elusive unicorns of the boatbuilding industry. As we aspire to moderate our environmental impact while still building some of the most durable manufactured consumer goods, boatbuilders are persistently trying out new chemistries that allow for the separation and reclamation of fiber and resin materials from a composite matrix at the end of a boat’s useful life. At last year’s IBEX and Metstrade we hosted seminars and panel discussions on the subject, featuring some of the pioneers and innovators driving the development and adoption of thermoplastic resins and thermolysis and solvolysis systems to break composite structures down into useful components.
This video, which unintentionally and appropriately highlights some remarkable Dutch floral arrangements, was captured on the North American Stage at Metstrade in Amsterdam as I moderated the panel discussion focused on Advances in Renewable Composite Technologies. Participants were ProBoat veterans Nick Bigeau (Resolve Composites), Fabio Bignolini (Northern Light Composites), and Guillaume Perben (Composites Recycling). They shared their experiences developing recyclable marine composites for boatbuilders and material reclamation processes, including thermolysis and solvolysis, for practical recycling of production waste and possible end-of-life boat disposal.
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