Wind turbine blades that reach the end of their life are typically recycled into cement or disposed of in landfills.
Continuum, a Denmark-based company, is building six wind turbine blade recycling factories across Europe and will begin taking end-of-life blades by the end of the year. The first one will be located in Esbjerg, Denmark, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. The other factories will be located in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Turkey. The construction of all six factories should be completed by the end of the decade. Each factory will have the capacity to recycle 36,000 tonnes of end-of-life turbine blades each year and will be powered by 100% green energy.
Continuum a promis că nicio pală de turbină nu va mai fi dusă la gunoi și va reduce cu 100 de milioane de tone emisiile de CO2 din incinerare și co-procesare a acestora în fabricile de ciment până în 2050.
Other companies and researchers have also been looking for ways to improve the recyclability of existing wind turbines. In the near future, recycled wind turbines could be made into skis, snowboards, construction materials for solar farms or gummy bears, nappies and other everyday items.
Source: RENEW ECONOMY