Perspectives
Through innovative recycling and repurposing techniques for composites in the automotive and construction industries, as well as better dismantling technologies, the EU-funded REWIND project aims to increase the circularity of wind turbine blades nearing the end of their useful lives. Improved wind energy systems’ sustainability and recyclability as well as new recycling markets are anticipated results.
The REWIND research project, which is supported by the EU, will create methods for breaking down end-of life (EoL) wind turbine blades in order to make them more circular. Additionally, innovative composite recycling and repurposing techniques for the automotive and construction sectors will be implemented.
The European Union is funding the project, which has 14 partners from seven different countries: Spain, France, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and Greece (6 RTDs, 2 universities, 4 SMEs, 3 major enterprises, and 1 organisation).
This research initiative is coordinated by AIMPLAS, the plastics technology centre, which also oversees the thermal and chemical recycling activities. The development of catalyst pyrolysis and solvolysis techniques will lower processing temperatures and durations. In order to create new recycled resins (epoxy, polyester, and vitrimer resins), AIMPLAS is also responsible for the repolymerization of recovered monomers from the organic part of solvolysis.
In order to improve the circularity of end-of-life wind energy systems, increase their industrial applications, and prevent current landfilling and incineration, the REWIND project (efficient decommissioning, repurposing, and recycling to increase the circularity of end-of-life wind energy systems) aims to develop critical technologies for dismantling wind turbine blades and implement new methods for recycling and repurposing composites.
In order to determine if composite components from EoL products should be recycled or reused based on their value, REWIND will design appropriate disassembly, quality inspection, and characterisation of composite trash. Potential high-value uses for EoL composites, such repurposing for the automotive and construction sectors, will also be highlighted by this initiative. The matrix and fibre will be separated by recycling the most deteriorated components. Together with fresh recycled resin from the solvolysis process monomer, the recycled fibres will be used in the same wind sector following further sizing, spinning, and weaving. They will serve as demonstrators for the production of a wind blade component and a repair kit.
Potential new markets for wind turbine recycling and repurposing, improved overall sustainability of wind energy systems based on mainstream life cycle assessment (LCA) to address social, economic, and environmental aspects, improved onshore and offshore wind turbine lifetime, reliability, recyclability, and sustainability, and, finally, more effective decommissioning and improved circularity of the wind sector are all anticipated outcomes of this four-year research project.
REWIND will help increase wind turbine blade recyclability by creating novel techniques for recycling and reusing as well as essential technology for disassembly. Three essential components of the 7R Model—Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink—will be combined to accomplish the aim.