Wind turbine rotor blades have a recycling problem: how much longer?

Many wind turbines are gradually reaching the end of their service life, which is 20 to 25 years. While the technology and the tower (almost 90 percent of the wind turbine) can be almost completely reused, after recycling, the rotor blades usually remain in one piece.

This goes so far that they are stored in open spaces until a solution is perhaps found to the problem of disposing of these huge yet robust components. However, this is precisely what is being banned in more and more countries.

It is therefore very fitting that the BBC has set out in search of current, tried and tested solutions. And there are already an astonishing number of approaches.

And they are urgently needed. Over the next few years, the mountain will pile up to millions of tons. In total, rotor blades will account for almost 10 percent of all waste in the European Union.

Because it is extremely difficult to separate the resin from the fiberglass, which is roughly equivalent to the main components of the rotor blades, a simple solution is a saw.

This is used to gradually cut the blades into small pieces. These shreds can then be added to the building material. This stabilizes and saves cement at the same time. However, it is not enough to absorb the expected quantities.

Hot air is used at the University of Glasgow. Here, too, the huge components have to be broken down into small pieces. The heat then allows the fiberglass to be separated from the resin and collected. After that, nothing stands in the way of a new use. However, the energy required is high and the resin is destroyed.

Vestas, one of the market leaders in wind turbines, therefore remains the most promising approach. Chemicals are used to separate adhesives and fiberglass fibers so that both can then be reused.

This means that a new blade can be built from the old rotor blade. According to the manufacturer, the chemicals are inexpensive. After all, the aim is to achieve complete recycling by 2040.

A great deal of effort will still have to be made before then. However, it should be worthwhile to completely recycle fiberglass fibers and thus the entire wind turbine, as other power sources are a long way off.