Wind energy is an inexhaustible and efficient source of energy. As wind energy develops, the demand for wind turbine blades is growing. It is estimated that for every 1 kW of new energy, 10 kg of material is needed for blades, which currently have a service life of 20-25 years. After this period, the blades are withdrawn from use and it is estimated that over 400 thousand tons of used blades may appear on the market within a few years[1]. Blades are mainly made of thermosetting resins reinforced with glass fibers (GF) and/or carbon fibers (CF). Current methods of disposal of such materials are primarily open-air storage in landfills or incineration. However, these methods prevent rational reuse of resources and cause environmental pollution. The idea of our idea was to manage this waste in the form of thermoplastic composites, the recycling of which is known and possible, thanks to which wind energy can become completely “clean energy”.
The research project entitled “Building boards with the use of secondary raw materials” with the acronym REC-WIND, co-financed from the budget of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education as part of the targeted subsidy of the President of the Łukasiewicz Center (contract number 1/Ł-IMPIB/CŁ/2023) was carried out in the years 2023-2025. The consortium carrying out the work included the following institutes:
Łukasiewicz – Institute of Polymer Materials, Toruń (Leader).
Łukasiewicz – Warsaw Institute of Technology, Warsaw
Łukasiewicz – Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis “Blachownia”, Kędzierzyn-Koźle
Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation, Warsaw
The aim of the project was to determine the possibility of direct use of crushed windmill blade waste as a filler for typical thermoplastics, to investigate the basic properties of the obtained composites and to produce demonstration construction products from them.
The project developed a methodology for preparing finished composites based on ABS and PVC with a content of 10 to 70% of waste filler. The characteristics of the basic properties of the composites were determined, and selected ones were used to produce exemplary demonstration products on a scale close to industrial scale. The produced demonstrators in the form of plates and profiles were tested for their tensile strength, bending strength and impact strength. Their acoustic and vibration insulation properties were checked. Based on the obtained results, we can state that these products can be successfully used in:
- the construction industry for light, less demanding structures such as greenhouses, gazebos or tool sheds,
- advertising industry, e.g. in the construction of exhibition stands or advertising boards,
- road industry as barriers, geodetic posts,
- gardening industry as decorative or furniture elements.
The REC-WIND project confirmed that mechanical recycling of wind blades can be one of the alternative methods of their disposal. The products manufactured within the project were characterized by good strength parameters, which makes it possible to reuse them in many industries.
Neelam Rathore and N. L. Panwar, Waste Management & Research 2023, Vol. 41(4) 744–759
