Circular Glass fibre Recycling Solution for Offshore Wind turbine blades (Circle4Win)

WHY

To achieve a climate-neutral EU by 2050, energy must come from renewable sources, such as wind. Wind turbines should be both sustainably built and circular, especially when it comes to recycling the composite materials in the blades. In the European Union, new wind farm projects must already meet circularity requirements, and a ban on landfilling turbine blades is expected to take effect in 2025.

Combustion or the use of blade waste in cement production is not sustainable. But there is currently no cost-effective, large-scale sustainable recycling method for these materials.

The amount of blade waste in Europe is expected to increase from 60,000 tonnes per year in 2025 to 800,000 tonnes per year by 2050. In the Netherlands alone, more than 2,000 offshore turbines with 6,000 blades (totalling 400,000 tonnes) are expected to be installed by 2030.

Several stakeholders face challenges:

• Wind farm operators: high costs and complex logistics for blade disposal.
• Recycling companies: inefficient and polluting processes.
• Governments: want sustainable, socially acceptable solutions.
• Buyers of recycled fibres: need affordable, high-quality material.
• Communities and environmental groups: concerned about the environmental and social impact.

The primary issue is that recycling wind turbine blades is not yet a profitable endeavour. Costs are high, the supply of scrapped blades is unpredictable and it all depends heavily on government regulations and circularity requirements.

WHAT

The goal of the Circle4Win project is to create a cost-effective and scalable circular solution for wind turbine blades. This involves recovering glass fibres using thermolysis (a process that combines pyrolysis and decarbonisation) and converting them into raw glass material. This recycled material can then be used to make new glass fibres for new turbine blades or other products.

The project aims to develop a unique recycling method that combines heat and mechanical processes. It should be suitable for large-scale use (50,000 to 80,000 tonnes per year) and supported by a dedicated supply chain in the Benelux region within five years after the end of the project.

To achieve this goal: the project focuses on examining the impact of dismantling, transportation, and pre-processing — including cutting and shredding — on the cost, environment, and society. It also aims to establish design guidelines for future blades to facilitate easier recycling, including the use of a Digital Product Passport (DPP) to track blade parts and materials.

In the project, we will perform the following activities:

• Establish facilities to manage various types of composite waste.
• Apply a digital product passport methodology to track materials used in wind turbine blades. Manufacturers of blades will share material details, while mining companies and material companies will set chemical standards.
• Develop an energy-efficient thermolysis process that can recycle 50 tonnes of composite material per year.
• Develop and test clean-cutting and pre-processing methods at a demo site near a waste incinerator.
• Develop a tool to assist in planning the end-of-life process, including logistics and pre-processing, taking into account cost, environmental, and social impacts.
• Conduct a full life cycle analysis (LCA) of an offshore wind farm, from production to recycling.
• Study how different end-of-life options affect jobs and local economic benefits.
• Utilise the thermolysis and pre-processing results to enhance blade design for improved recyclability.

EXPECTED RESULTS

The project will deliver:

• A process plan to recover glass fibres using thermolysis for remelting into new glass-fibers.
• A demo setup to cut and shred turbine blades.
• A better understanding of costs, social and economic benefits, and the full life cycle of turbine blades.
• Design and digital product passport guidelines for improved recyclability and circularity of the blades.