Revolution in lightweight construction: Chemnitz University of Technology is researching sustainable headrests!

Revolution in lightweight construction: Chemnitz University of Technology is researching sustainable headrests!

Chemnitz University of Technology launched the KIKORECO research project on May 21, 2025. This ambitious project, which officially started in April 2025, aims to develop sustainable headrests for child seats made from recycled carbon fibers. The project's partners are the Professorship of Textile Technologies and the Cetex Institut gGmbH. The project is financially supported with around 1.4 million euros from the Just Transition Fund of the Sächsische Aufbaubank.

The planned headrests are characterized by their low weight, resource-efficient production and high crash safety. The central materials are directed, recycled carbon nonwovens (grCV), which are processed using innovative processing technologies such as particle foam composite injection molding (PVSG), dry fiber placement (DFP) and tailored fiber placement (TFP). A central goal of the project is to achieve weight and CO₂ savings of 25 to 30 percent compared to the solutions currently used.

Innovation strategies in lightweight construction

As part of the project, a tailored fiber placement system for large-format semi-finished products will be purchased, which will be relocated to the Carbon LabFactory in Boxberg. This new branch of Chemnitz University of Technology will further strengthen the innovation strategy in the circular economy and lightweight construction. Economic diversification plays a crucial role, especially in a structurally changing area like Lusatia. The entire project period extends from April 2025 to March 2028 and includes the establishment of a demonstrative production chain for recycled composite components as well as research and development work.

Another significant advance in the use of recycled materials is the technology for processing recycled carbon fibers (rCF) developed by the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF). This technology enables the production of highly oriented tapes that reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 66 percent and also achieve 88 percent of the strength of new fibers. Given the growing amount of carbon fiber waste, a sustainable solution to reuse these materials is becoming increasingly urgent.

Circular economy and its importance

The development of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) has increased significantly, but this trend also brings with it an increase in waste. It is estimated that around 8,000 passenger aircraft will be retired in Europe by 2030, resulting in a large amount of CFRP waste. Currently, only 15 percent of this waste is recycled, while the majority ends up in waste incineration plants or landfills.

DITF technology uses modern processes such as pyrolysis or solvolysis to recover carbon fibers. In combination with thermoplastic matrix fibers, these are processed in such a way that they can imitate the mechanical properties of new products. This could play a key role in reducing waste and emissions in lightweight construction and significantly increase the performance of recycled materials.

In conclusion, both Chemnitz University of Technology and the DITF make a decisive contribution to the circular economy through their innovative approaches to the use of recycled carbon fibers. Creating a resource efficient model that promotes maximizing resource use and minimizing waste could lead to a sustainable transformation in the industry in the long term. The integration of such technologies is crucial to extend the life cycle of products and reduce environmental impact.

Chemnitz University of Technology, Ingenieur.de, Fraunhofer Institute