As a leader in the recycling of end-of-life (EoL) carbon fiber reinforced plastic waste, Mitsubishi Chemical Group advances the decommissioning strategies of EoL wind turbine blade (WTB) waste within EoLO-HUBs.

Facing specific particle size requirements for the pyrolysis route, it is a key challenge to break down the pre-cut WTB sections with a wide geometrical range coming from different sections along the blade axis, into a uniform material stream. Therefore, advanced, flexible handling tools are needed to economically feed the shredding process, as well as technologies that cope with industrial dusts providing the highest standard of workplace safety.

First trails with sections supplied by the consortium partners showed the general feasibility. The material could be shredded down into the desired size, showing sufficient separation of different materials, which elevates the potential for possible downstream sorting processes. However, optimization potential was discovered, such as the requirement of larger blade sections being disintegrated by a cut along the leading edge, to make handling more efficient.

For more information on Mitsubishi Chemical Group and their contribution to EoLO-HUBs, contact Kerstin Anselmino (kerstin.anselmino@mcgc.com) and if you are interested in other technologies for the decommissioning stage of wind turbines blades, click here.