DecomBlades The circular economy value chains for decommissioned wind turbine blades

An increasing number of wind turbines are reaching end of life and will soon have to be decommissioned. However, wind turbine blades (WTBs) made of glass fiber reinforced thermoset composites are not easy to recycle and mostly end in landfill or incinerated.

To create a viable business case for recycling WTBs, DecomBlades aims at establishing a functional value chain to handle end of life WTBs from decommissioning, to re-processing and reuse in new applications. DecomBlades partners see three promising recycling technologies: cement kiln, pyrolysis and mechanical shredding. DecomBlades takes a crucial next step to mature these processes and to establish each of the necessary steps in the value chain, such as data specification, logistics, process mapping and optimization, and demonstration.

A key strength of DecomBlades is the strong interlink between the eight work packages and the partners. The knowledge and infrastructures required to fulfill the tasks are covered by the partners’ facilities and expertise, joining together a strong cross-sector industrial and research consortium.

Finally, DecomBlades industrial partners have a Danish presence, as well as the ability to implement the processing solutions on a global scale. It is envisioned that the results achieved in DecomBlades will be upscaled on an international plan, speeding up the global green transition and making Denmark a frontrunner in providing solutions for a composite circular economy.