From Waste to Value-Added Resource: A Strategic Review of Recycling and Regeneration Pathways for Fiber-Reinforced...

The rapid expansion of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) in wind energy, transportation, and aerospace is generating increasing amounts of accompanied waste, making effective valorization essential to a circular economy. This review compares FRP recovery technologies in terms of recovered-fiber quality, operating conditions, post-treatment, environmental impacts, and industrial applicability. Then, it also examines direct reuse, FRP remanufacturing, and reuse in cementitious composites. Quantitative synthesis indicates that high-quality recycled carbon fibers (rCFs) generally retain more than 90% of their original strength, whereas mechanically recovered glass fibers (rGFs) typically retain approximately 70-90%. The preferred pathway depends on the intrinsic value, damage state, morphology, and residual properties. Components with sufficient residual capacity should be directly reused; high-quality fibers are better suited to polymer remanufacturing; and heterogeneous or lower-grade glass-FRP (GFRP) fractions are more compatible with cementitious applications, where mechanically recycled GFRP can provide interfacial bond strengths comparable to conventional engineering macrofibers. Future research should establish quantitative links among recovered material quality, processing, interfacial behavior, and end-use performance, while adopting consistent environmental and economic assessment boundaries. A graded utilization framework is therefore required to support both large-scale and value-added reuse of FRP waste.