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As an important embodiment of green development, the wind power industry is an important pillar of economic growth and an important field of scientific and technological innovation. It has become a strategic emerging industry for the country to accelerate its development. With the rapid development of the wind power industry in China, wind power plants are also developing from land to sea.

DEWI, a global wind energy service provider, said in a research report that nearly 50,000 tons of used blades are expected to be produced in 2020 and are expected to rise to 200,000 tons in 2034. Therefore, the recovery of wind turbine blades has become a problem that needs to be properly and effectively solved in the world at present.

Generators, towers and gearboxes for fans are relatively easy to recycle. However, due to the design of the fan blades, in order to achieve optimal aerodynamic performance and light weight and durability of the fan blades, the production of fan blades is often composed of fiber-reinforced materials (such as glass fiber or carbon fiber) and plastic polymers. Composite materials (polyester or epoxy vinyl), sandwich materials (PVC, PET or Basha) and coatings (polyurethane).

As a new technology industry, the wind power industry is currently focusing on recycling technology. Although theoretically separating the fibers from the polymer resin embedded therein is the recycling classification that ensures the highest value, since the separation technique is currently not sufficiently effective, it is desirable to separate the fibers in the fan blades from the polymer resin embedded therein. A very difficult question.

Recovery and utilization of fan blades

01. Building modern architecture

Decommissioned fan blades can be used as urban art buildings. As early as 2012, the Netherlands took the lead in using decommissioned wind turbine blades as structures for children's parks. The legend is for the Dutch design company SuperuseStudios to use decommissioned blades for urban buildings (such as public seats) and outdoor shelters (such as bus shelters).

02, separation and recycling

It can be separated by chemical separation. In a research project called “Dreamwind”, a team of scientists at the University of Aarhus in Denmark is developing a chemical that will potentially separate wind turbine blade composites. This is the main problem to solve the problem of wind turbine blade recycling.

03, after shredding and reuse

The reduction of decommissioned fan blades into smaller pieces or granules has great potential for improving product performance in buildings and related industries. The wind turbine blades are first shredded into palm-sized pieces, which are then refined and processed into new composites. Tests have found that new materials can compete with many wood composites. The recycled leaves can be used in different ways, from floor tiles to plastic pavement barriers.

04, after crushing for fuel

Fan blades can be used as fuel after crushing. Currently, Germany maintains the world's only industrial-scale plant for processing wind turbine blades. They first cut the fan blades after retiring into small pieces, then break them into pieces and use them together with other waste materials as fuel for the cement plant.

At present, the main method for recycling and utilizing wind turbine blades in China is to pre-cut and divide the fan blades, then carry out pulverization treatment, and then use them as raw materials for secondary use. Because this method is low in cost, simple and convenient, it is the most common method used in China for the recycling of wind turbine blades. For this reason, more and more wind turbine companies are beginning to use recycled thermoplastic structural foam to produce wind turbine blades, which can be reused after recycling, crushed and mixed into new products to maintain the same performance and strength.

As we all know, most wind turbines have a design life of about 25 years. With the establishment of large-scale wind power plants in China, how to effectively recycle the decommissioned fan blades in the near future will be a huge test and a huge market opportunity for us.