Recent Innovations and Challenges in CompositeRecycling: Toward Sustainable Circular Economies

The increasing use of composite materials inindustries like automotive, aerospace, and construction is addingto environmental and resource burdens due to a lack of effectiverecycling solutions. This review highlights recent progress incomposite recycling technologies, focusing on mechanical,chemical, and thermal methods, as well as new approaches likemicrobial and enzymatic recycling. Additionally, AI-driven andhybrid recycling techniques are explored for their potential tooptimize processes and enhance material recovery. Keyunresolved challenges include material degradation, energyconsumption, scalability, and industrial adoption barriers. Thepaper also evaluates the economic viability of using recycledcomposites in industrial applications and discusses recent policydevelopments promoting sustainable recycling. Finally, itoutlines future research directions, including multi-material andbio-composite recycling, calling for intensified efforts to advancetechnologies and policies necessary to achieve a circulareconomy for composites.