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Wind turbine blade recycling: Experiences, challenges and possibilities in a circular economy

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  • Jensen, J.P.
  • Skelton, K.

Abstract

The wind power industry is a fast growing, global consumer of glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRP) composites, which correlates with the industry’s rapid growth in recent years. Considering current and future developments, GFRP waste amounts from the wind industry are expected to increase. Therefore, a sustainable process is needed for dealing with wind turbines at the end of their service life in order to maximize the environmental benefits of wind power. Most components of a wind turbine such as the foundation, tower, gear box and generator are already recyclable and treated accordingly. Nevertheless, wind turbine blades represent a challenge due to the type of materials used and their complex composition. There are a number of ways to treat GFRP waste, depending on the intended application. The best available waste treatment technologies in Europe are outlined in this paper. However, there is a lack of practical experiences in applying secondary materials in new products. A Danish innovation consortium was addressing this waste with a predominant focus on the blades from the wind power industry. The outcomes from the consortium and the various tested tools are presented in this paper as well as the secondary applications that were proposed. The outcomes are structured using Ellen MacArthur’s circular economy diagram. The “adjusted” diagram illustrates the potentials for a continuous flow of composite materials through the value circle, where secondary applications were developed in respect to “reuse”, “resize and reshape”, “recycle”, “recover” and ‘conversion’. This included applications for architectural purposes, consumer goods, and industrial filler material. By presenting the outcomes of the consortium, new insights are provided into potential forms of reuse of composites and the practical challenges that need to be addressed.

Suggested Citation

  • Jensen, J.P. & Skelton, K., 2018. "Wind turbine blade recycling: Experiences, challenges and possibilities in a circular economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 165-176.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:97:y:2018:i:c:p:165-176
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2018.08.041
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    1. Cherrington, R. & Goodship, V. & Meredith, J. & Wood, B.M. & Coles, S.R. & Vuillaume, A. & Feito-Boirac, A. & Spee, F. & Kirwan, K., 2012. "Producer responsibility: Defining the incentive for recycling composite wind turbine blades in Europe," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 13-21.
    2. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Enevoldsen, Peter, 2015. "One style to build them all: Corporate culture and innovation in the offshore wind industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 402-415.
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    Cited by:

    1. John Dorrell & Keunjae Lee, 2020. "The Cost of Wind: Negative Economic Effects of Global Wind Energy Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-25, July.
    2. Mumtaz, Hamza & Sobek, Szymon & Sajdak, Marcin & Muzyka, Roksana & Drewniak, Sabina & Werle, Sebastian, 2023. "Oxidative liquefaction as an alternative method of recycling and the pyrolysis kinetics of wind turbine blades," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PB).
    3. Furszyfer Del Rio, Dylan D. & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Foley, Aoife M. & Griffiths, Steve & Bazilian, Morgan & Kim, Jinsoo & Rooney, David, 2022. "Decarbonizing the glass industry: A critical and systematic review of developments, sociotechnical systems and policy options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    4. Chong, Cheng Tung & Fan, Yee Van & Lee, Chew Tin & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír, 2022. "Post COVID-19 ENERGY sustainability and carbon emissions neutrality," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
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    6. Francisco Haces-Fernandez, 2020. "GoWInD: Wind Energy Spatiotemporal Assessment and Characterization of End-of-Life Activities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-20, November.
    7. Xu, Jiuping & Liu, Tingting, 2020. "Technological paradigm-based approaches towards challenges and policy shifts for sustainable wind energy development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    8. Lund, Kristine Wilhelm & Nielsen, Mikkel Liep & Madsen, Erik Skov, 2023. "Sustainability assessment of new technologies using multi criteria decision making: A framework and application in sectioning end-of-life wind turbine blades," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    9. Majewski, Peter & Florin, Nick & Jit, Joytishna & Stewart, Rodney A., 2022. "End-of-life policy considerations for wind turbine blades," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    10. Winkler, Lorenz & Kilic, Onur A. & Veldman, Jasper, 2022. "Collaboration in the offshore wind farm decommissioning supply chain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    11. Sandra Sorte & Nelson Martins & Mónica S. A. Oliveira & German L. Vela & Carlos Relvas, 2023. "Unlocking the Potential of Wind Turbine Blade Recycling: Assessing Techniques and Metrics for Sustainability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-28, November.
    12. Beauson, J. & Laurent, A. & Rudolph, D.P. & Pagh Jensen, J., 2022. "The complex end-of-life of wind turbine blades: A review of the European context," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    13. Kai-Yen Chin & Angus Shiue & Yi-Jing Wu & Shu-Mei Chang & Yeou-Fong Li & Ming-Yuan Shen & Graham Leggett, 2022. "Studies on Recycling Silane Controllable Recovered Carbon Fiber from Waste CFRP," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-12, January.
    14. Emma L. Delaney & Paul G. Leahy & Jennifer M. McKinley & T. Russell Gentry & Angela J. Nagle & Jeffrey Elberling & Lawrence C. Bank, 2023. "Sustainability Implications of Current Approaches to End-of-Life of Wind Turbine Blades—A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-19, August.
    15. Johnston, Barry & Foley, Aoife & Doran, John & Littler, Timothy, 2020. "Levelised cost of energy, A challenge for offshore wind," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 876-885.
    16. Mark Sommer & Ina Meyer & Silvia Scherhaufer & Florian Part & Peter Beigl, 2021. "ROSE-Trans – The Role of Secondary Resources in the Austrian Energy Transition," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 69194, February.
    17. Ramez Abdallah & Adel Juaidi & Mahmut A. Savaş & Hüseyin Çamur & Aiman Albatayneh & Samer Abdala & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2021. "A Critical Review on Recycling Composite Waste Using Pyrolysis for Sustainable Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-25, September.
    18. Liang, Yanan & Kleijn, René & Tukker, Arnold & van der Voet, Ester, 2022. "Material requirements for low-carbon energy technologies: A quantitative review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    19. Mendoza, Joan Manuel F. & Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro & Velenturf, Anne P.M. & Jensen, Paul D. & Ibarra, Dorleta, 2022. "Circular economy business models and technology management strategies in the wind industry: Sustainability potential, industrial challenges and opportunities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    20. Elia, A. & Taylor, M. & Ó Gallachóir, B. & Rogan, F., 2020. "Wind turbine cost reduction: A detailed bottom-up analysis of innovation drivers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    21. Mulvaney, Dustin & Richards, Ryan M. & Bazilian, Morgan D. & Hensley, Erin & Clough, Greg & Sridhar, Seetharaman, 2021. "Progress towards a circular economy in materials to decarbonize electricity and mobility," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    22. Liu, Y. & Hajj, M. & Bao, Y., 2022. "Review of robot-based damage assessment for offshore wind turbines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    23. Mumtaz, Hamza & Sobek, Szymon & Sajdak, Marcin & Muzyka, Roksana & Werle, Sebastian, 2023. "An experimental investigation and process optimization of the oxidative liquefaction process as the recycling method of the end-of-life wind turbine blades," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 269-278.
    24. Anne P. M. Velenturf, 2021. "A Framework and Baseline for the Integration of a Sustainable Circular Economy in Offshore Wind," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-41, September.
    25. Jelle Joustra & Bas Flipsen & Ruud Balkenende, 2021. "Circular Design of Composite Products: A Framework Based on Insights from Literature and Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-23, June.

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