Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REFRESH (Smart dismantling, sorting and REcycling of glass Fibre REinforced composite from wind power Sector through Holistic approach)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-04-30
The EU is committed to becoming the global leader in renewables. Wind power has played an important part in this success and will be key to achieve the EU’s renewable energy targets and make the EU carbon-neutral by 2050. Wind is a clean and reliable energy source for power generation. However, there is a side of the technology that needs a different approach, to guarantee a full sustainability to wind technology. As a consequence of the dismission of parks older than 20-25 years, WT blades waste is increasing, and existing solutions are not yet widely available or cost-competitive.
REFRESH aims to develop and demonstrate a novel circular, smart system for an improved recycling (>90%) of glass fiber-reinforced composites derived from wind turbine dismantling, with high purity level. The project will focus on the mechanical and thermal treatment of waste, but it will strongly involve the entire reverse circular value chain: from end-of-life blades to a wide range of re-manufactured products. REFRESH proposes a flexible re-manufacturing line: when a wind-blade is decommissioned, it will be performed a
selection of optimal recycling process according to the technical condition of the blade and current market demand; this will be achieved by using a dedicated tracking tool for collecting, protecting and sharing information and an embedded decision-making tool software for selecting time by time the most sustainable approach to recycling.
The project focus on the most robust and mature mechanical treatments, where composites are grinded in various size and used as new raw material to create multifunctional panels for home furniture, civil construction, industrial applications. The project will design and deploy an up-scaled process, starting from the already available remanufacturing line of GEES Recycling (Aviano, Italy). Another robust and proven process is the thermal technology, here proposed by Gjenkraft, that allow also to recover long and “clean” fibers, without matrix, having properties comparable with the one of virgin fibers. The holistic approach developed within the project will be validated by means of LCA/LCC analysis. The project will finally contribute to the increase of awareness among stakeholder communities through direct engagement, aimed at replicating the solution in Europe and guarantee a capillary presence of treatment plants. The novel REFRESH approach will allow potential savings of virgin raw materials of 22 and 52 Mton after 5 and 8 years from project end respectively.
REFRESH aims to develop and demonstrate a novel circular, smart system for an improved recycling (>90%) of glass fiber-reinforced composites derived from wind turbine dismantling, with high purity level. The project will focus on the mechanical and thermal treatment of waste, but it will strongly involve the entire reverse circular value chain: from end-of-life blades to a wide range of re-manufactured products. REFRESH proposes a flexible re-manufacturing line: when a wind-blade is decommissioned, it will be performed a
selection of optimal recycling process according to the technical condition of the blade and current market demand; this will be achieved by using a dedicated tracking tool for collecting, protecting and sharing information and an embedded decision-making tool software for selecting time by time the most sustainable approach to recycling.
The project focus on the most robust and mature mechanical treatments, where composites are grinded in various size and used as new raw material to create multifunctional panels for home furniture, civil construction, industrial applications. The project will design and deploy an up-scaled process, starting from the already available remanufacturing line of GEES Recycling (Aviano, Italy). Another robust and proven process is the thermal technology, here proposed by Gjenkraft, that allow also to recover long and “clean” fibers, without matrix, having properties comparable with the one of virgin fibers. The holistic approach developed within the project will be validated by means of LCA/LCC analysis. The project will finally contribute to the increase of awareness among stakeholder communities through direct engagement, aimed at replicating the solution in Europe and guarantee a capillary presence of treatment plants. The novel REFRESH approach will allow potential savings of virgin raw materials of 22 and 52 Mton after 5 and 8 years from project end respectively.
In the first reporting period the activities were devoted to the design activities for decomissioning and recycling technologies. Key achievements that were reached are:
DECOMISSIONING AND PRE-TREATMENT OF WIND BLADES:
- Development of a cutting system for wind turbine blades, ensuring precision, efficiency, and minimal environmental impact, thanks to the development of an on-site water-based system to control glass fiber dust emissions.
- Design of a portable shredder to shred wind blades after pre-cutting with also an integrated system to manage dust emissions.
- Design of a new lab-scale reactor for advanced thermochemical processing to inert dust and fines from cutting and shredding phase.
DEVELOPMENT AND CUSTOMIZATION OF RECYCLING PROCESSES FOR WIND BLADES:
- Design of a new line in GEES plant for the upscaling of the mechanical recycling process, allowing to treat more feedstock of waste wind blades.
- Experimental assessment of microwave-assisted thermal (pyrolysis) and thermo-chemical (solvolysis) recycling.
- Batch and continuous pyrolysis recycling process design for clean fibers obtaining.
All these technical activities and achievements were further analysed and validated through:
- The development of a business plan which gave positive financial results for the considered scenarios based on the project solutions.
- Preliminary LCA is to assess the impact of the processes proposed by Refresh project, demonstrating their sustainability.
DECOMISSIONING AND PRE-TREATMENT OF WIND BLADES:
- Development of a cutting system for wind turbine blades, ensuring precision, efficiency, and minimal environmental impact, thanks to the development of an on-site water-based system to control glass fiber dust emissions.
- Design of a portable shredder to shred wind blades after pre-cutting with also an integrated system to manage dust emissions.
- Design of a new lab-scale reactor for advanced thermochemical processing to inert dust and fines from cutting and shredding phase.
DEVELOPMENT AND CUSTOMIZATION OF RECYCLING PROCESSES FOR WIND BLADES:
- Design of a new line in GEES plant for the upscaling of the mechanical recycling process, allowing to treat more feedstock of waste wind blades.
- Experimental assessment of microwave-assisted thermal (pyrolysis) and thermo-chemical (solvolysis) recycling.
- Batch and continuous pyrolysis recycling process design for clean fibers obtaining.
All these technical activities and achievements were further analysed and validated through:
- The development of a business plan which gave positive financial results for the considered scenarios based on the project solutions.
- Preliminary LCA is to assess the impact of the processes proposed by Refresh project, demonstrating their sustainability.
REFRESH will will enable the recycling of higher amounts of composites and hybrid epoxy/polyurethane binders for their use in various new products, significantly reducing the consumption of virgin raw materials. It is estimated that at least 5.5 million tonnes per year of solid surface raw materials, 5.5 million tonnes per year of G-FRC, 3.5 million tonnes per year of wood fibre panels, and 5.6 million tonnes per year of glass fibre will be saved through REFRESH end-products, substituting high amounts of virgin raw materials with secondary raw materials. This will be possible through the implementation of REFRESH concept and technology that will cover the whole value chain of waste wind blades from the decomissioning, through the recycling to the new end products. REFRESH will address most of the physical limitations affecting the recyclability of products, providing solutions to enhance eco-design strategies, reduce material degradation, and ensure high-quality secondary raw materials. The project will focus also on developing high-quality end-products from recycled composites and insulations, increasing the knowledge of optimal process parameters and the economic viability of recycled products.
The environmental acceptability of REFRESH solution will be studied via LCC/LCA methods, alongside to the demostration of the financial feasibility through the development of a solid business plan. Digital tools will support wind farm owners and managers in extending asset lifetimes and enhancing maintenance efficiency. The AI-based application for remote inspection, decision-making tools, and tracking systems will improve waste management, transparency, and information sharing along the value chain, promoting the sector's knowledge hub and further applications in other fields.
Finally a strong Dissemination and communication strategy will ensure the soundness of REFRESH results, proposing the project with relevant stakeholders and presenting it in multiple events.
The environmental acceptability of REFRESH solution will be studied via LCC/LCA methods, alongside to the demostration of the financial feasibility through the development of a solid business plan. Digital tools will support wind farm owners and managers in extending asset lifetimes and enhancing maintenance efficiency. The AI-based application for remote inspection, decision-making tools, and tracking systems will improve waste management, transparency, and information sharing along the value chain, promoting the sector's knowledge hub and further applications in other fields.
Finally a strong Dissemination and communication strategy will ensure the soundness of REFRESH results, proposing the project with relevant stakeholders and presenting it in multiple events.