Researchers take wind turbine blade recycling into focus

A group of researchers from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and the Lithuanian Energy Institute have proposed a method for wind turbine blades’ recycling. Using pyrolysis, they broke the composite materials into their constituent parts, i.e. – phenol and fibre. According to scientists, the extracted materials can be reused, and the process is virtually waste-free.

Wind turbine blades made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminate composites can serve for up to 25 years. After that they end up in landfills – GFRP is recognised as hard-to-break-down. This has become a real challenge for the renewable energy industry. It is estimated that wind turbine blades account for 10 per cent of Europe’s fibre-reinforced composite material waste.... ... More: Official Press Release Kaunas University of Technology (KTU)

Keywords:

Kaunas University of Technology, KTU, Lithuania, Energy Institute, rotor blade, wind turbine, recycling, pyrlysis, composite material, reuse, waste free