Production, characterization, and evaluation of high porous and flexible carbon fabric from denim waste fabric as a resin reinforced composite material

The need for alternative materials in the world increases together with the need for light, high strength, and many unique features used in different sectors are also increasing. Carbon-based material-reinforced composites, which maintain their place among composite materials and whose research, and applications are increasing every year; they are resistant to thermal shocks, have high strength, are lightweight, and have low density. The biggest disadvantage of carbon fiber reinforced composite materials is the high raw material and production costs. Evaluation of waste management for the production of materials that are so important to the world is the basis for high savings in possible costs. In this study, flexible activated carbon cloth (ACC) that can be used as an alternative to high-cost carbon fiber/resin composites were produced by applying carbonization and chemical activation processes to waste denim fabrics in the textile industry. For production, it has been tried with different techniques and parameters in the literature, and in this way, the optimum production conditions have been determined by applying characterization studies. Activated carbon cloths obtained were used to strengthen a construction structure. When the results were evaluated, flexible activated carbon cloth produced from the waste of cotton denim was seen as a low-cost, environmentally friendly alternative effective material to be used as a carbon/resin composite material.