CETEC project to commercialise recycled wind turbine materials

CETEC (Circular Economy for Thermosets Epoxy Composites) is part-funded by Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD) and includes epoxy producer Olin, the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), and Aarhus University.

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In the two-step process thermoset composites are first disassembled into fibre and epoxy. Secondly, through a novel chemcycling process, the epoxy is broken up further into base components similar to virgin materials that can be reintroduced into the manufacturing of new turbine blades.

According to Simon Frølich, team manager at the Danish Technological Institute, composite materials are characterised by their low weight and high strength, which is governed by the strong bonding of fibre and epoxy.

“The dilemma is that this strong bond is also the feature that renders these materials difficult to recycle,” he said. “Therefore, the development of CETEC’s novel technology, enabling disassembly of the composite at end-of-life, is a gamechanger that will allow us to capture the value represented by each material stream in a new circular value chain.”