ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF GLASS FIBER REHINFORCED POLYMER (GFRP) VALORISATION PROCESSES FROM THE DECOMMISSIONING OF WIND TURBINES

The production of wind energy is one of the most mature technologies in the field of renewable energy, and the rapid technological advances bring out the need to replace the old models of wind turbines with more efficient versions. Operators must plan the management of a large amount of resource flows from the end-of-life wind farm disposal. The use of composite materials, in particular epoxy resins reinforced with glass fibers (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer - GRFP), most used in the wind blades, makes the material separation and recovery operations quite complex. The purpose of the study is to compare the environmental performance of the life cycle of two treatment processes (mechanical recycling and co-processing in cement kiln), identified by literature as possible technologies for the treatment of GFRP, including also the environmental benefits obtainable through the valorisation of both the waste material itself (used as fuel) and the secondary material obtained at the end of the treatment process. The LCA study provides some general considerations about the possible recycling and recovery of GFRP material contained in wind turbine blades. In general terms, it can be stated that co-processing in cement kilns is a highly efficient process because it allows energy to be recovered from the waste material and part of it to be integrated into the clinker production process.