Mechanical recycling of GFRP wind turbine blades: Evaluating the sustainability and economic potential of recycled fibers

IF 6.2 2区工程技术 Q1 CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Developments in the Built Environment Pub Date : 2025-07-07 DOI:10.1016/j.dibe.2025.100710

Costantino Menna , Luigi De Simone , Vittorio Capozzi

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The significant development of wind energy over the past two decades has raised concerns regarding the End-of-Life (EoL) management of wind turbine blades, primarily composed of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP). This study investigates the mechanical recycling of GFRP from decommissioned blades and evaluates the reuse of recovered fibers in fiber-reinforced mortar and concrete. Mechanical testing showed tensile and compressive strength improvements of up to 13 % and 3 % in concrete, and up to 16 % and 17 % in mortar, with optimal performance at 2–2.5 % fiber content and 1–2 mm diameter. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) revealed that added fibers contribute less than 4 % to total environmental impact. On-site recycling exhibited lower impacts in 6 of 8 indicators analyzed, primarily due to renewable energy use. Economically, mechanical recycling can become competitive with landfilling when applied at scale under optimized conditions. Results support this method as a viable EoL strategy aligned with circular economy objectives.

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玻璃钢风力涡轮机叶片的机械回收：评估再生纤维的可持续性和经济潜力

在过去的二十年中，风能的重大发展引起了人们对风力涡轮机叶片寿命终止（EoL）管理的关注，风力涡轮机叶片主要由玻璃纤维增强聚合物（GFRP）组成。本研究探讨了退役叶片中玻璃钢的机械回收利用，并评估了回收纤维在纤维增强砂浆和混凝土中的再利用。力学试验表明，混凝土的抗拉和抗压强度分别提高了13%和3%，砂浆的抗拉和抗压强度分别提高了16%和17%，纤维含量为2 - 2.5%，直径为1-2 mm时性能最佳。生命周期评估（LCA）显示，添加的纤维对总环境影响的贡献不到4%。现场回收在分析的8个指标中有6个指标的影响较低，这主要是由于可再生能源的使用。在经济上，机械回收在优化条件下大规模应用时可以与填埋具有竞争力。结果支持该方法作为符合循环经济目标的可行EoL战略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Developments in the Built Environment Multiple-

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

1.20%

发文量

审稿时长

22 days

期刊介绍： Developments in the Built Environment (DIBE) is a recently established peer-reviewed gold open access journal, ensuring that all accepted articles are permanently and freely accessible. Focused on civil engineering and the built environment, DIBE publishes original papers and short communications. Encompassing topics such as construction materials and building sustainability, the journal adopts a holistic approach with the aim of benefiting the community.