The REWIND research project will also implement new methodologies for recycling and reusing composite materials for the construction and automotive sectors.
AIMPLAS, the Technological Institute of Plastics, coordinates this research and leads the thermal and chemical recycling efforts.
Globally, it is estimated that 2.5 million tonnes of composite materials are currently used in wind turbines and it is expected that 350 thousand tonnes of wind turbine blades will be dismantled at the end of their useful life in Europe by 2030. However, cost-effective recycling of composite materials remains a challenge, and the circularity of wind turbine blades is almost zero today.
The objective of the REWIND project (Efficient dismantling, reuse and recycling to increase the circularity of end-of-life wind energy systems) is to develop critical technologies for the dismantling of wind turbine blades and to implement new methodologies for the reuse and recycling of composite materials to increase their circularity and the industrial applications of these composites at the end of their useful life, avoiding current landfilling or incineration.
REWIND will develop an adequate dismantling, quality inspection and characterization of composite waste, to decide whether these parts at the end of their useful life should be reused or recycled based on their value. The reuse of the waste will end with the manufacture of demonstrators for the construction and automotive sectors. Recycling the most degraded parts will separate the matrix from the fibre and these recycled fibres (with subsequent sizing, spinning and weaving), together with new recycled resin from the solvolysis process monomer, will be used in the same wind sector to manufacture a wind blade part and a repair kit as demonstrators.
The project is funded by the European Union and includes 14 partners (6 research and development centres, 2 universities, 4 SMEs, 3 large companies and 1 association) from 7 different countries: Spain, France, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Turkey and Greece.
AIMPLAS, the Technological Institute of Plastics, coordinates this research and leads the thermal and chemical recycling tasks. Catalysis-assisted pyrolysis and solvolysis methods will be developed to reduce the temperature and processing time. AIMPLAS is also responsible for the repolymerization of the monomers recovered from the organic fraction of solvolysis to obtain new recycled resins (epoxy, polyester and vitrimeric resins).
The expected results of this 4-year research project are: improved lifetime, reliability, recyclability and sustainability of onshore and offshore wind turbines, new potential markets for recycling and/or reusing wind turbines, improved overall sustainability of wind energy systems based on an integrated life cycle analysis addressing social, economic and environmental aspects and, finally, more efficient decommissioning and increased circularity of the wind sector.
REWIND will contribute to increasing the recyclability of wind turbine blades by developing critical technologies for dismantling and new methodologies for reuse and recycling. The goal will be achieved by combining three key drivers of the 7R Model: Reuse, Recycle and Rethink.
The REWIND project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 101147226. The partners involved are: AIMPLAS, TECKNIKER, IPC – Centre Technique Industriel de la Plasturgie et des Composites, Miljøskærm, Hochschule Pforzheim – Gestaltung, Technik, Wirtschaft und Recht, Duetsche Institute für Textil – und Faserforschung Denkendorf (DIFT), Alke Electric Vehicles, Suez Group, bcircular, Composite Patch, TPI Composites Inc. , R-Nanolab, CiaoTech – Gruppo PNO and AEMAC.
At AIMPLAS, we help companies apply the Circular Economy to their business model in order to turn legislative changes affecting the plastics industry into opportunities to improve their efficiency, reduce their environmental impact and increase their economic profitability. To this end, we work and research in areas such as recycling, biodegradable materials and products, and the use of biomass and CO2, with the aim of developing innovative solutions that help solve current environmental challenges.
