Monday, 22 November 2021
A major project to develop wind turbine blade recycling in Britain for the first time has been given the go-ahead after winning a UK Government grant.
The £2m three-year project involves a consortium led by Aker Offshore Wind, the University of Strathclyde and the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre, with contributions from academic and industry partners including the University of Nottingham, global waste management firm SUEZ, composite distributor GRP Solutions and composite part manufacturer Cubis.
The initiative aims to ensure a more sustainable future for the global wind industry and the wider composites manufacturing industry – accelerating the drive towards net zero emissions and waste and creating new skills and job opportunities in the UK.
At present, when giant turbine blades reach the end of their working lives, there are only two options for managing the waste: send them to a landfill or to waste-to-energy plants where they are combusted with significant carbon emissions.
The project aims to commercialise a revolutionary fibre recovery method pioneered by the University of Nottingham and further developed by the University of Strathclyde to separate the glass-fibre and resin components in composites and recover the glass fibres which can then be reprocessed using a novel method developed by the University of Strathclyde, moulded, and reused in other industries, such as the motor trade and the construction industry.
Experts at the University of Nottingham will support the development of a fluidised bed fibre recovery process which it has been investigating for many years.
“Large volumes of glass fibre composites are used in wind turbine production and currently there is no established recycling solution for end-of-life blades – but this project aims to develop a solution that reprocesses glass fibre composite waste and helps us to move towards a circular economy.”
The environmental benefits from this project cannot be understated as waste from wind turbine blades alone are expected to reach around 2 million tonnes globally by 2050, and UK volumes of composite waste already exceed 100,000 tonnes per year.
Aker Offshore Wind has pledged its support to trade body WindEurope’s call for a Europe-wide landfill ban on decommissioned wind turbine blades by 2025 and considers this project a crucial step towards setting a new standard for the industry.
With thousands of turbines being erected and built as part of the transition away from fossil fuels, the project partners applied to the UK Government for support to position the UK as the global leader in blade recycling and provide a futureproofed solution for turning waste into new resources.
Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency, awarded £1.3m to the project, with Aker Offshore Wind contributing more than £500,000 to make the project a reality.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Thomas Turner on thomas.turner@nottingham.ac.uk or Emma Lowry, Media Relations Manager (Engineering) on emma.lowry@nottingham.ac.uk or 0115 84 67156.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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