Recycling 2021, 6, 72 9 of 18

patents to appear (PPA = 1,511) indicates that the future patenting activity in this market
will be more active than in the past, suggesting academic and industrial researchers will
continue focusing on the topic.

Figure 2. Gompertz growth curve and its parameters for FRP recycling.

Figure 3 depicts the development of the patents filed on mechanical, thermal, and
chemical recycling processes from 1991 to 2020. The data show that the patenting activity
has been continuously growing in all three recycling macro-categories since 2010. Instead,
the analysis of the Gompertz growth curve (Figure 4) reveals that mechanical recycling
technologies have already entered the maturity stage (TML = 61.51%), while thermal
(TML = 36.54%) and chemical ones are still in their growth phase. Specifically, chemical
recycling technologies have the lowest level of maturity (TML = 30.96%). Furthermore,
the results show that chemical (ERL = 48 years) and thermal recycling (ERL = 51 years)
technologies have an estimated remaining life about twice that of mechanical recycling
technologies (ERL = 24 years). In summary, the data analysis indicates that the progressive
growth in the number of patents takes on different forms when viewed from the perspective
of the three recycling macro-categories, pointing out the existence of technologies that have
reached their maturity faster than others. This behavior may be due to the complexity
and history of each technology. For instance, the mechanical recycling of CFs has grown
more quickly than thermal and chemical recycling, as it is simpler and has been developed
based on existing knowledge and technologies already established in other industries. In
addition, being at an advanced stage of maturity, it is about to reach the technological upper
limit of the technological transformation process, intended as the set of technical actions
necessary to recover the fibers. Vice versa, there is still ample room for improvement for the
technological transformation system, defined as the set of processes, tools, and equipment
suitable for an effective, efficient, and reliable recycling process. Contrariwise, thermal and
chemical recycling, as they are in the growth phase of their life cycle, are still characterized
by opportunities for growth and improvement from a technological perspective.