Advanced carbon fiber materials could be used in applications from wind turbine blades to biomedical implants following the development of a low-cost carbon fiber feedstock.

The carbon fibers were spun from synergistic blends of the low-value heavy oils left over from crude oil refining by members of KAUST’s Clean Energy Research Platform. The work could not only facilitate broader carbon fiber uptake but also create sustainable new uses for residual oils as the world transitions to alternative energy systems.

“Crude oil is a resource with immense potential beyond fuels,” says Edwin Guevara Romero, a researcher in the labs of Mani Sarathy, who led the work. “Using oil residues as feedstocks for carbon materials is an innovative, high-value application of oil-derived resources, paving the way for economic diversification,” he says.