WindEurope, Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council) and EUCIA (the European Composites Industry Association) have created a cross-sector platform to advance novel approaches to the recycling of wind turbine blades. Today, 2.5 million tonnes of composite material are used in the wind energy sector.
Specifically, in 2018, wind energy supplied the 14% of the electricity in the EU with 130,000 wind turbines and this number is expected to develop and increase in the future.
Mainly, wind turbines blades are made up of a composite material, which boosts the performance of wind energy by allowing lighter and longer blades.
According to WindEurope, in the following five years, 12,000 wind turbines are planned to be decommissioned. Thus, the variety of the recycling options for the industry’s development remains critical.
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Learnings from wind turbine recycling will then be transferred to other markets to enhance the overall sustainability of composites.
Generally, today, composite materials are being recycled at a commercial scale through cement co-processing, where the cement raw materials are being partially replaced by the glass fibers and fillers in the composite, and the organic fraction replaces coal as a fuel.
WindEurope CEO, Giles Dickson commented
Recycling the old blades is a top priority for us, and teaming up with the chemical and compositors industries will enable us to do it the most effective way.
In the meantime, Cefic Derector General, Marco Mensink, added that the chemical industry has a crucial decisive role in the transition to a circular economy by investing in the research and development of new materials.