LM Wind Power and its partners in the Zero wastE Blade ReseArch (Zebra) consortium have produced the first prototype of a 100% recyclable wind turbine blade.
The 62-metre blade was made using Arkema’s Elium resin, which is a thermoplastic resin known for its recyclable properties, together with glass fabrics from Owens Corning.
Launched in September 2020, the Zebra project is led by French research centre IRT Jules Verne and brings together industrial companies including Arkema, Canoe, Engie, GE’s LM Wind Power, Owens Corning and Suez.
Its purpose is to demonstrate the technical, economic, and environmental relevance of thermoplastic wind turbine blades on a full scale, with an eco-design approach to facilitate recycling.
LM Wind Power has designed and built the world’s largest thermoplastic blade at its Ponferrada plant in Spain.
The milestone is achieved after a year of material development and testing backed by sub-component level process trials by the consortium partners.
The liquid thermoplastic resin has been adapted for the manufacturing of large parts by resin infusion, combined with Owens Corning high performance fabrics.
The resulting composite material is delivering similar performances to thermoset resins but is also recyclable.
LM Wind Power will now start full-scale structural lifetime testing at its Test and Validation Centre in Denmark, to verify the performance of the composite material used in making the blade and its feasibility for future sustainable blade production.
By the end of the project in 2023, the consortium will have “met the challenge of bringing the wind energy sector into the circular economy loop in a sustainable manner, according to the principles of eco-design”.
John Korsgaard, senior director, engineering excellence, at LM Wind Power, said: “With this project we are addressing two crucial industry challenges. On one hand, we are progressing on our Zero Waste Blades vision by preventing and recycling manufacturing waste.
“On the other, we are taking blade recyclability to a new level: the end-of-life thermoplastic composite blade material has high value in itself and can be readily utilised in other industries as material compounds but can also be depolymerized and the resin reused in the production of new blades.”