Way earlier than expected, the first few Airbus A380 aircraft are currently being dismantled. They present teardown facilities with a new challenge: how do you recycle GLARE, the fibre metal laminate used in its upper fuselage and on the stabilisers’ leading edges?

In this article, the third in a series of articles on aircraft materials recycling, Aethos explores the factors at play in recycling GLARE. What are the obstacles to establishing an effective recycling protocol, and how can they be overcome?

GLARE – high safety at a low weight

As everyone in aviation knows, weight and safety are of extreme importance in aircraft engineering. Hence, when a new material is introduced that solves a major safety issue such as metal fatigue in aircraft, at a lower weight than the traditional aluminium, we welcome it as a revolutionary step forward.

In the early 2000’s GLARE – short for GLAss REinforced aluminium laminate – was such a game changing material. Developed at the TU Delft, it was first applied in the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airliner.

The impact of market dynamics

Now, 20 years later, the first few Airbus A380 aircraft are already being dismantled – significantly earlier than everyone anticipated. Partly because of GLARE’s durability, Airbus A380 aircraft were expected to retire after 30 to 40 years of service.

That scenario did not acknowledge the impact of a changing market, however. When the Airbus A380 was launched in 2005, it appealed to a very particular type of client: those who wished to turn a local airfield into an international hub, from where they could fly hub-to-hub with large passenger aircraft.

While Airbus catered to this segment, competitor Boeing bet on another type of client: those who wanted small, short-haul aircraft with which to fly point-to-point between a number of airports of all sizes.

Although both have their rationale, currently the market leans towards point-to-point more than hub-to-hub. As a result, a number of Airbus A380 aircraft are scrapped prematurely.

The obstacles to recycling GLARE

Back when GLARE was developed, TU Delft researchers Erik Tempelman and Ad Vlot did consider the question of how to recycle it after use. Their proposed solution – the materials separate spontaneously when you heat them briefly – is technically feasible, but left some issues unaddressed.

René Alderliesten, currently Professor of Structural Integrity and Certification at the TU Delft and involved in the development of GLARE early in his career, explains: “In principle it is perfectly possible to establish a recycling process for GLARE. After shredding the material, you can separate it by either burning off the plastic and reusing the aluminium, or by subjecting it to abrupt temperature fluctuations, which causes the material to separate all by itself. In the latter case it is hypothetically possible to reuse the fibre reinforced plastic as well, which can only be downcycled.”

These methods have significant drawbacks, however. Alderliesten says: “For one thing, it is quite problematic to burn the chromates used to make the adhesive adhere to the aluminium, because they release all kinds of hazardous substances into the atmosphere. And on a wholly different level, it is very difficult to build a viable business case for recycling GLARE at some scale. In my opinion, we need government regulation and funding to make that happen.”

Current solution: Postponing the problem

As usual with aircraft materials recycling, the reason why GLARE is not being processed back into the loop largely comes down to an unattractive business case.

Meanwhile, dismantlers are resorting to other methods, for lack of a better alternative. Alderliesten says: “I hear they are chopping it up, burying it and geotagging the spot – so as to be able to recycle it later on, when there is a viable process available.”

Connecting theory and practice

While an admirable initiative under the circumstances, Aethos would love to see our industry come up with something better. Often, that process starts with connecting the theory with the practice: a role Aethos is aiming to fulfil.

Together with the TU Delft we are currently exploring ways to develop a proof-of-concept for a GLARE recycling method.

We hope this article will be a small step towards that goal, and we will continue our efforts to facilitate a sustainable outcome.

If you have any useful information or contacts, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

This article was written by Aethos, a foundation committed to advancing recycling efforts in aviation. Founded by Derk-Jan van Heerden, former CEO of aircraft disassembly company AELS and former president of the branch organisation AFRA, Aethos supports research and innovation in the field of material recycling from retired aircraft and -components that are beyond reuse and repurposing.