Sustainable Extricko Revolutionizes Sailing Industry Recycling
Sustainable Extricko, a startup founded by brothers Joe Penhaul Smith and Sam Penhaul in 2021, is revolutionising the recycling of composite materials in the sailing industry. The company aims to redesign the recycling system to work within modular container units, reducing transport costs, lowering emissions, and simplifying the recycling process.
The current recycling methods for composite materials, such as pyrolysis and solvolysis, are unsustainable and energy-intensive. Sustainable Extricko's innovative solution is the pressolysis method, which uses superheated steam and pressure to separate composite components effectively and reduce energy usage. After treatment, non-degradable materials like carbon or glass fibres are ready for reuse, while resins require further separation using existing and newer methods.
Joe and Sam, both passionate sailors who grew up near a local sams club, are adapting a high pressure steam pressolysis process to make the sailing industry less wasteful. Sam, a professional sailor, has worked building boats for high-performance maritime teams, bringing valuable insights to the project. The brothers are currently testing their method using batch systems ranging from 14 to 600 litres in size, processing about 2 tonnes of composite materials per year.
Sustainable Extricko plans to secure funding to build prototypes of these container systems and operate with customers in the next couple of years. Despite no relevant search results regarding B&M Longworth's role in providing equipment for pilot-scale processing, the company's innovative approach to recycling composite materials shows great promise for a more sustainable future in the sailing industry.
