| Title | Pursuing the circularity of wind turbine blades: Thermochemical recycling by pyrolysis and recovery of valuable resources |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 17132 |
| Authors | Royuela, D; Martínez, JD; López, JM; Callén, MS; García, T; Verdejo, R; Murillo, R; Veses, A |
| Title | Pursuing the circularity of wind turbine blades: Thermochemical recycling by pyrolysis and recovery of valuable resources |
| Year | 2024 |
| Published | |
| Abstract | Wind turbine blades (WTBs) are the primary waste generated by the wind energy industry and represent one of the major challenges associated with renewable energy from a disposal perspective. Therefore, it is necessary to develop recycling processes to address this environmental issue as circular economy strategies are implemented. This work investigates the technical feasibility of a combined thermochemical process to recover high-quality glass fibers from WTBs while optimizing the composition of the liquid and gaseous fractions. For this purpose, a thermal pyrolysis process in the range of 450-500 degrees C was studied in a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor, followed by thermal cracking of the vapors between 300 and 700 degrees C. The fixed bed reactor in which the pyrolysis was performed was also used to study a secondary thermochemical process under oxidizing conditions in order to remove residual exogenous organic compounds from the recovered fibers (RFs). For the sake of comparison, a muffle furnace was also used in this second stage. The results indicate that high yields of RFs can be recovered (75.8-77.5 wt%) and, depending on the temperature used in the cracking reactor, either valuable gas (up to 12.9 wt%) or phenol-rich oils (in the range of 8.8-18.7 wt%) can be produced. In addition, carbonaceous compounds can be completely cleaned of RFs after an oxidation process in the same pyrolysis unit, providing a highly versatile process. As an additional advantage, it is observed that after oxidation the RFs are functionalized. This work aims at creating a resource-efficient circular economy, specifically for waste generated from end-of-life renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines. |
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