End-of-life wind turbine blade management across energy transition: A life cycle analysis

Abstract

The growing demand for renewable energy has led to a significant increase in the deployment of wind turbines globally. As these turbines reach the end of their operational lives, managing the waste generated from their composite blades presents environmental challenges. By employing life cycle analysis (LCA), the research assesses the environmental impacts of four major disposal scenarios - landfilling, mechanical recycling, pyrolysis, and solvolysis – in the context of Australia's ongoing energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables. This innovation provides a deeper insight into how shifting energy sources in the near future influence the environmental performance of recycling and disposal methods, offering guidance for more sustainable waste management strategies. According to the results, solvolysis shows the most positive impacts on the environment (single score factor ≈ -500 MPt) owing to the potential to produce recovered carbon fibre. Pyrolysis is the next environmentally friendly method, with a slight difference. Mechanical recycling appears to have comparable results to these methods, however the quality of recycled fibres has significant differences. Sensitivity analysis also underscores the critical role of electricity usage in the environmental impacts by 65 % and 86 % share of human health damage assessment in solvolysis and pyrolysis, advocating for its reduction or transition to renewable sources. Finally, the study shows that transitioning to renewable electricity in recycling processes revealed a potential reduction in the environmental impact by around 33–85 %, depending on the end-of-life treatment scenarios. There is also an opportunity to utilise both pyrolysis and solvolysis methods, as their environmental impacts are comparable when renewable resources are used. As we delve into innovative recycling approaches for wind turbine blades, there arises a hopeful prospect for a more sustainable future where conscientious material management contributes to environmental well-being.