Life Cycle Analysis of Coaxial Layered Fiber Spinning for Wind Turbine Blade Recycling

This article explores the environmental sustainability of recycling decommissioned wind turbine blades to produce polyacrylonitrile fiber. By comparing greenhouse gas emissions across various scales of production in different regions, including the US and Europe, the study highlights how cleaner energy grids, such as those in France, can substantially reduce the carbon footprint. The carbonization and graphitization stages, identified as highly energy-intensive, underscore the need for energy-efficient techniques and alternative energy sources. The study reveals significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions with scalable production, demonstrating US production emissions reduced to 3.89 kg CO₂ equiv/kg fiber and European production to 3.28 kg CO₂ equiv/kg fiber from a lab scale of at least one order of magnitude higher. The findings emphasize the importance of sustainable raw materials, green chemistry, and renewable energy in enhancing the sustainability of carbon fiber production and promoting a circular economy in wind energy.

This LCA quantifies the environmental burdens of wind turbine blade recycling, fiber spinning, and transportation, offering insights for sustainable material selection and waste management in the expanding wind energy sector.