Wind turbine blades get sustainable future: TNO takes them off the pyre

TNO is working with the Brightlands Materials Center (BMC) on a sustainable solution for the large quantities of wind turbine blades that end up on the scrap heap. Wind power is playing an increasing role in the energy transition. By 2030, offshore wind turbines in Europe will produce some 135 gigawatts of power. This also means that the blades will end up on the pyre when they reach the end of their useful life. This results in at least four million tonnes of waste every year. And that can’t go on any longer. That’s why TNO is now coming up with a solution, according to a press release.

“It’s also badly needed”, says Harald van der Mijle Meijer, Senior Consultant for Wind Energy Technology at TNO. “Not only do we need to get rid of the huge pile of turbine blades that are now being buried or incinerated, but governments are imposing increasingly stringent requirements on wind farm builders and owners. Companies bidding for tenders to build offshore wind farms in many countries must be able to demonstrate that the wind turbines are largely recyclable. Most components, such as the foundation and the tower, can already be recycled, but there’s no commercially attractive solution yet for the blades. That’s what we’re working on at TNO in collaboration with Brightlands Materials Center, an initiative of TNO and the Province of Limburg, which specialises in developing sustainable materials.”

‘Windmills for windmills’ -Dutch city of Groningen commits to fully recycling blades

The Netherlands is increasingly focusing on green energy, and new wind turbines are being built at a rapid pace, both on land and at sea. But what happens when they can’t be used anymore?

How it works

It involves a unique method for extracting the fibres from the turbine blade and reusing them in new products. Current blades are more than 50% glass and carbon fibre, which are in principle suitable for reuse. There are several sustainable options for the blades at the end of their service life. Mechanical or chemical recycling has drawbacks as regards quality and scaling up.

The experts at TNO and Brightlands Materials Center have therefore focused on a thermochemical process in which the material is heated to almost 500 ^oC without oxygen, releasing the fibres. They can then be processed into a material that can be used in recyclable products. This method provides the best outcomes for reusing the recycled material again and again.

Denmark wants to recycle wind turbine rotor blades in a sustainable way

Wind turbines have a lifespan of around 20 years. Many parts can be reused, although this does not apply to their rotor blades.

Read the complete press release here.