Method of recycling carbon fiber

A method of recycling carbon fibers,

• the method of recycling comprising:
• preparing a carbon fiber reinforced plastic molded product including a carbon fiber reinforced plastic containing carbon fibers and a resin;
• and
• drawing the carbon fiber reinforced plastic while performing a heating treatment on the carbon fiber reinforced plastic molded product,
• removing the resin in the carbon fiber reinforced plastic that is drawn and conveyed;
• and
• winding the conveyed carbon fibers that are removed of the resin;
• wherein the carbon fiber reinforced plastic is drawn in the upper stream, while the carbon fibers are wound in the downstream;
• wherein a temperature of the heating treatment is equal to or above a glass-transition temperature of the resin and below a thermal decomposition start temperature, and the temperature is below a thermal degradation temperature of the carbon fibers;
• wherein the removing the resin includes bringing a dissolution liquid that dissolves the resin in the carbon fiber reinforced plastic into contact with the carbon fiber reinforced plastic,
• wherein in the removing the resin, the drawn carbon fiber reinforced plastic is immersed into the dissolution liquid and subsequently the dissolution liquid is injected from a nozzle connected to an injection device toward the carbon fiber reinforced plastic to remove the resin from the carbon fibers, and
• wherein the method of recycling further comprises, after the removing the resin and before the winding the carbon fibers, applying a sizing agent to the carbon fibers obtained by removing the resin.