Stena Recycling and Vestas have advanced a wind turbine blade recycling system to the testing phase.
The companies are developing the solution under the Blade Circularity Solution project to scale chemical recycling for industrial use, Stena Recycling said.
The system builds on the CETEC project, which developed a process to separate and recycle epoxy and other blade materials, it added.
Testing is taking place at a facility in Halmstad capable of handling larger volumes of turbine blades, with multiple test batches already produced.
The method enables separation of materials including epoxy, carbon, PET foam, aluminium and glass fibre to support full recyclability of blades.
Director research and development at Stena Recycling Fredrik Overgaard said: “We have made major advances in the technology, and the testbed is a significant step in our scaling journey.
“Successful tests confirm that the recycling system works and is scalable beyond the laboratory environment.”
Managing director of Stena Recycling Denmark Henrik Grand Petersen said: “Recycling wind turbine blades has long been the major challenge.
“There are competing technologies, but our method is unique to secure the material properties.”
Vice president of sustainability at Vestas Lisa Ekstrand said: “We have set a clear ambition to deliver zero-waste wind turbines by 2040.
“Together with Stena Recycling, we are scaling this new process towards industrial application, advancing circularity for wind turbine blades and helping our customers strengthen project competitiveness and long-term value.”