By 2045, Germany wants to become climate-neutral. This means that no more CO₂ is to be emitted than can be absorbed by forests or other means. To achieve this goal, the German government is relying, among other things, on the expansion of renewable energies, and this includes wind turbines (WT). With the discontinuation of EEG subsidies last year, the first wind turbines have already been taken out of operation after 20 years. However, wind turbines contain valuable raw materials that have so far been insufficiently recycled. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, together with the Institute for Energy and Circular Economy (IEkrW) at Bremen University of Applied Sciences, therefore want to develop a new concept that will make it possible to better recycle and reuse rotor blades in the future. The project is being funded with 150,000 euros as part of the "Research for Sustainable Development - FONA3" program of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Sustainable recycling concept for rotor blades

"Holistic conceptualization is essential to create a sustainable recycling concept for rotor blades that gives the wind industry a clear framework to create a competitive market for secondary products and disposal. For this, we need concrete implementation strategies," explains project coordinator Steffen Czichon, head of the rotor blades department at Fraunhofer IWES.

Concrete and steel make up the lion's share of a wind turbine at around 97%. These materials are already easy to recycle. But the rotor blades also contain valuable raw materials - such as fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) with carbon and glass fibers. When the wind turbines are dismantled, these are currently shredded and transported away directly at the site. The carbon-containing materials are separated from the other materials for recycling, as are the thick-walled flange areas with the metal bolts or metal sleeves.