Post by account_disabled on Feb 25, 2024 6:13:53 GMT
Recycle turbine blades
When a wind turbine reaches the end of its useful life, components such as towers and nacelles can be recycled, but blades often end up in landfill. Vestas is looking to commercialize a new chemical process that can break down all epoxy-based turbine blades for reuse.
Wind harvesting is already becoming an important part of the renewable energy mix, with more projects coming online and larger turbines being produced. Unfortunately, when turbine blades reach the end of their useful life, they end up as waste in landfills. And this is a big deal, as WindEurope estimates that around 25,000 tonnes of turbine blades will be retired annually from 2025, which could rise to 52,000 tonnes by 2030.
We've seen scientists and energy companies come up with new recipes to help make used turbines recyclable, but the new solution from the CETEC coalition, established in 2021 by Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Olin Corporation, the Danish Institute of Technology and University from Aarhus – could negate the need to redesign blades and reuse all end-of-life epoxy-based turbines curr C Level Executive List ently in use or already in landfills.
“Until now, the wind industry has believed that turbine blade material requires a new design and manufacturing approach to make it recyclable or, beyond this, circular, at the end of its useful life,” said Lisa Ekstrand. , vice president and chief sustainability officer at Vestas. “In the future, we can now see the old epoxy-based blades as a source of raw material. “Once this new technology is implemented at scale, legacy blade material currently sitting in landfills, as well as blade material in active wind farms, can be disassembled and reused.”
Progress depends on the development of a new chemical process by the Troels Skrydstrup Group at Aarhus University, other CETEC members and project partners. Using widely available chemicals, this process can break down epoxy resin and recover it as virgin raw material for use in manufacturing new turbines or other products.
Now that it has established a value chain with Stena Recycling and Olin, Vestas will scale up and commercialize the process.
When a wind turbine reaches the end of its useful life, components such as towers and nacelles can be recycled, but blades often end up in landfill. Vestas is looking to commercialize a new chemical process that can break down all epoxy-based turbine blades for reuse.
Wind harvesting is already becoming an important part of the renewable energy mix, with more projects coming online and larger turbines being produced. Unfortunately, when turbine blades reach the end of their useful life, they end up as waste in landfills. And this is a big deal, as WindEurope estimates that around 25,000 tonnes of turbine blades will be retired annually from 2025, which could rise to 52,000 tonnes by 2030.
We've seen scientists and energy companies come up with new recipes to help make used turbines recyclable, but the new solution from the CETEC coalition, established in 2021 by Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Olin Corporation, the Danish Institute of Technology and University from Aarhus – could negate the need to redesign blades and reuse all end-of-life epoxy-based turbines curr C Level Executive List ently in use or already in landfills.
“Until now, the wind industry has believed that turbine blade material requires a new design and manufacturing approach to make it recyclable or, beyond this, circular, at the end of its useful life,” said Lisa Ekstrand. , vice president and chief sustainability officer at Vestas. “In the future, we can now see the old epoxy-based blades as a source of raw material. “Once this new technology is implemented at scale, legacy blade material currently sitting in landfills, as well as blade material in active wind farms, can be disassembled and reused.”
Progress depends on the development of a new chemical process by the Troels Skrydstrup Group at Aarhus University, other CETEC members and project partners. Using widely available chemicals, this process can break down epoxy resin and recover it as virgin raw material for use in manufacturing new turbines or other products.
Now that it has established a value chain with Stena Recycling and Olin, Vestas will scale up and commercialize the process.