End-of-life policy considerations for wind turbine blades

Majewski, Peter; Florin, Nick; Jit, Joytishna; Stewart, Rodney Anthony

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2022.112538

Cited by 49 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Despite the fact that the EGD is committed to renewable energy for a sustainable transformation of the sector (European Commission, 2019b), and despite the strong focus on circularity throughout the EGD, the environmental impact of renewable energy generation systems is not mentioned (Mahmud et al, 2020), nor to the end of life of renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels (Ansanelli et al, 2021), wind blades (Majewski et al, 2022; Nagle et al, 2022), and electric batteries (Fallah & Fitzpatrick, 2022; Sanclemente Crespo et al, 2022). Moreover, the EGD also does not mention the high dependence of renewable energy technologies on rare earth elements and the challenge of their global geographic distribution (Zheng et al, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The European (Green?) Deal: a systematic analysis of environmental sustainability

Hereu‐Morales,

Segarra,

Valderrama

2023

Sustainable Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Transitioning towards a sustainable society is at the core of public planning in the EU through the European Green Deal (EGD). However, is the EGD a master plan for actual sustainable development in the EU? This work aims to answer this question through an analysis of the environmental sustainability within the EGD's plans through the method of critical discourse analysis, and discussing the results with previous efforts for sustainable development in the EU and in the UN. The results of the analysis identify fundamental flaws in the environmental sustainability of the EGD, which seems to repeat mistakes of previous efforts for sustainability planning in the EU. This work concludes that economic growth is the predominant focus in public planning and that the EGD needs a review of various environmental aspects to be considered the master plan for a transition towards a sustainable EU.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The European (Green?) Deal: a systematic analysis of environmental sustainability

Hereu‐Morales,

Segarra,

Valderrama

2023

Sustainable Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additional problems arise, e.g. the provision of materials (Taylor 2022) and the recycling of the rotor blades' composite materials (Karatairi and Bischler 2020), creating a "waste legacy problem" in the future (Majewski et al 2022;Jani et al 2022), further illustrating interconnectedness and complexity.…”

Section: Property 8: Causal Websmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another technicallikely wicked -challenge is the recycling of rotor blades' composite materials -described by Jani et al (2022) and Majewski et al (2022) as a "waste legacy problem". Procuring resources and waste management can lead to negative consequences in both resource exporting and waste importing countries.…”

Section: Causal Websmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wicked facets of the German energy transition – examples from the electricity, heating, transport, and industry sectors

Biehl¹,

Missbach²,

Riedel³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wicked problems occur when decision-makers face constant change or unprecedented challenges and when uncertainty, complexity, and stakeholder divergence are high. We shed light on wicked problems in the German energy transition. Our methods consist of a multiple-case study and comparative multi-criteria analysis, utilising the wicked problems theoretical framework introduced by Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber (1973). Based on four exemplary cases, our research covers four core energy transition sectors: energy supply (developing onshore wind power), heating/cooling (using shallow geothermal energy systems), transport (decarbonising the transport sector), and industry (decarbonising the chemical industry sector). Cross-case results illustrate where and how the 10-point frame of wicked problems manifests in the German energy transition. We do not argue that the German energy transition is inherently wicked, yet we stress the need to consider potentially wicked facets of energy transition challenges. Our results show that the four cases exhibit more wicked tendencies in the governance domain than in the technical dimension. All cases exhibit wicked facets in the governance dimension, given strong normative assumptions, value divergence, and complex governance structures with a plurality of actors. From a technical perspective, the four cases still exhibit some wicked tendencies, e.g. raw material provision, skilled workforce, and waste management. The cases differ in technology maturity, state of knowledge, and degree of policy output and regulations. In applying the wickedness lens, we acknowledge that energy transition problems cannot be solved merely by technical measures but need to be tamed. Our work reflects which challenges and main barriers pertain to the four cases of the German energy transition. Understanding the elements of wickedness in a specific problem in the first step offers insights for addressing and managing these challenges in the next step.

show abstract

“…The automobile [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], marine [ 4 , 5 , 6 ], wind power [ 7 , 8 ], aviation [ 9 , 10 ] and space industries consume the most of these materials. The life cycle of PCM parts can achieved up to 25–50 years [ 11 , 12 ]. Both thermoplastic polymers and thermosetting plastics can be used as a PCM matrix.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recycling of Epoxy/Fiberglass Composite Using Supercritical Ethanol with (2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium)2[CuCl4] Complex

Protsenko¹,

Protsenko²,

Shakirova³

et al. 2023

Polymers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The widespread use of polymer composite materials (PCM) leads to an increase in non-recyclable waste. This paper discusses the feasibility of recycling fiberglass with an epoxy matrix by solvolysis in ethanol under supercritical conditions. The solvolysis process completes successfully within four hours in an environment of a pure solvent containing 10% water at a temperature of 280 °C when the solvent passes into the supercritical state. The treatment time increases up to 10 h at a process temperature of 250 °C. When using a coordination compound of copper(II) chloride with organic chloride salt having 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium as the counterion, having the composition of (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium)2[CuCl4], the treatment time is reduced. The addition of the complex of 5% by weight makes it possible to completely remove the epoxy matrix at a temperature of 250 °C for two hours. The products separated from the solvolysis liquid were studied by infrared spectroscopy. The resulting fibers were examined by thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The residual strength of the recovered fibers is 98%. Thus, the resulting fibers can be reused in the composite industry. Including both for the production of decorative products and for the production of structural products made of polymer composite materials.

show abstract

End-of-life policy considerations for wind turbine blades

Cited by 49 publications

References 39 publications

The European (Green?) Deal: a systematic analysis of environmental sustainability

The European (Green?) Deal: a systematic analysis of environmental sustainability

Wicked facets of the German energy transition – examples from the electricity, heating, transport, and industry sectors

Recycling of Epoxy/Fiberglass Composite Using Supercritical Ethanol with (2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium)2[CuCl4] Complex

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About