The problem of recycling old renewable energy facilities will become very relevant as the renewable energy sector develops. Scientists are puzzling over how to do this more efficiently and safely. In the meantime, the spent blades and towers of wind turbines are stored at special landfills, where they expect the emergence of new technology that will allow them to find a "second life".
Wind Turbine Processing Issues
Until now, a clear strategy for the processing of wind turbines has not been created. Current ideas are suitable for a small number of recyclable products. The most difficult to process blades consisting of fiberglass and composite materials. Removing the latter is a rather laborious task. Currently, the very first installations built at the end of the 20th century are being decommissioned. In 2019 and 2020, it is planned to utilize about two gigawatts of capacity. This is not much at all, but the figure will grow rapidly, reflecting the development of wind energy in the first and second decades of the 21st century.
Now the easiest way to dispose of the blades is to store on open landfills. With the development of processing technologies, the materials contained in them will be involved in a second circulation.
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Existing solutions
Some naturalists are trying to find local application for used turbines. For example, Mr. Lilly found a way to turn fiberglass composite components into small granules. These pellets can be processed into plastic for syringes or into moisture-proof plates, which can be useful in construction. The idea of Lilly has already interested some manufacturers.
Pyrolysis
Another possible disposal method is pyrolysis. First, the blades are crushed, and then heated to a temperature of 450-700 degrees Celsius. Reconstituted fibers can be used to make paint, glue, concrete. Also in the process of pyrolysis, synthesis gas is formed, which can be burned in internal combustion engines. And charcoal is applicable as a fertilizer. However, a lot of energy is needed for the pyrolysis process, and so far it has been carried out only in the laboratory.
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Other applications
In Rotterdam, the blades of old-fashioned wind turbines found rather unusual applications. They were used to equip a playground with an area of 1200 square meters. They made towers, slides, tunnels, ramps. It took 5 blades of old wind turbines.
They did the same in the Dutch city of Terneutsen, as well as at two bus stops in Rotterdam.
Architect Cesare Peren intends to use two 55-meter blades in the construction of a bridge in the city of Aalborg, which is located in Denmark.
