USE OF RECYCLED GLASS FIBRE FROM END-OF-LIFE WIND TURBINE BLADES IN THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES FOR AUTOMOTIVE, CONSTRUCTION AND 3D PRINTING APPLICATIONS

Waste created by rapid expansion of the wind energy industry is escalating exponentially and is projected to result in 43 million tons of discarded wind blades by 2050. Decommissioned wind turbine blades are currently sent to landfills or burned for energy, which are environmentally detrimental solutions. Significant reductions in CO2 emissions can be achieved by large scale reuse of glass fibre recycled from blades. Recycled glass fibre may be extracted through chemical, thermal or mechanical processes and further compounded with various thermoplastic polymers to create eco-responsible composite materials. The aim of this work was to use short glass fibre recycled from wind turbine blades in four different thermoplastics, i.e., polypropylene, polyamide, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and recycled polystyrene to produce composite pellets through a compounding melt-process. The obtained eco-responsible composites were fully characterized and demonstrated mechanical, thermal, and micro-structural characteristics at least equivalent to commercial glass fibre composites. Prototypes were produced using various melt transformation processes tailored for thermoplastic composites, including injection molding, compression molding, filament extrusion for 3D printing, and the fabrication of 3D-printed parts. The results from this study indicate that recycled glass fibre from wind turbine blades can be highly valuable in the manufacturing of parts for automotive, construction, and 3D printing industries.