At present, the recycling rate of carbon fiber is relatively low, mainly because its preparation process and structural characteristics make it difficult to recycle. The production of carbon fiber generally uses high-temperature and high-pressure processes, which results in a very dense structure of carbon fiber materials that is difficult to recover and reuse through traditional physical and chemical methods.

The main current carbon fiber waste treatment methods include pyrolysis and dissolution. Pyrolysis is heating carbon fiber to high temperatures to decompose it into carbon and other gases. The pyrolyzed carbon can be reused in certain aspects of the carbon fiber preparation process, but due to the special structure of the carbon fiber, the strength and modulus of the pyrolyzed carbon fiber have been greatly reduced and cannot be used again for high-strength applications. Dissolution is to place carbon fiber in a chemical reagent for a chemical reaction to dissolve it into a liquid or semi-solid state, and then use the solution to prepare other materials.