A recent analysis projects that over two million metric tons of wind turbine blades will reach the end of their operational lifetime by 2050. Currently, most of these blades are being sent to landfill where any remaining value in the blades is left unrecovered. Recognizing this issue, researchers have proposed a range of recycling approaches for wind turbine blades. However, it is still unclear what additional research and development needs to be completed to enable recycling of wind turbine blades at full scale. As a result, a multi-lab team from Sandia National Laboratories, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are performing a detailed analysis of wind turbine blade recycling approaches. The analysis includes data collection, process modeling, and life cycle assessment. The approaches considered are cement co-processing, mechanical recycling, pyrolysis, microwave pyrolysis, and solvolysis. In the analysis, each of these approaches is! compared in terms of mass yield efficiencies, cumulative energy demand, and greenhouse gas emissions. The quantitative findings of this analysis are being compiled alongside qualitative findings to provide recommendations for future research and development to enable wind turbine blade recycling.
Date and Time
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Location
Online
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Presenters
Evan Sproul
Research Themes