Recycable Blades

How new sets of wind turbine blades make recycling easier

Wind turbine blades are built to withstand the toughest of nature’s tests. That same sturdiness makes the blades difficult to recycle at the end of their operational life. Much of the challenge lies in the resin used in the construction, which requires high temperatures and pressures to break down. This process is energy-intensive and degrades the material properties, complicating recycling efforts.

To facilitate recycling once the blades are dismantled, Vattenfall is using three sets of Siemens Gamesa’s RecyclableBlades at the Hollandse Kust Zuid windfarm, which was the maximum available amount at that time (2022). RecyclableBlades are designed to facilitate recycling, by using a resin type that dissolves in a low-temperature, mildly acidic solution. This separates the resin from the other components in the blade: fiberglass, carbon fibre, plastic, wood, and metal, without significantly impacting their properties. As a result, these materials can be efficiently recycled into new products afterwards.

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Links to further content

Vattenfall offshore wind farm will use recyclable wind turbine blades – Vattenfall

Vattenfall Circularity Graphic: https://publicarea.admiralcloud.com/dl/fU6uod1NUsjncXvByNHuNu