OPTIONS FOR BLADE RECYCLING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND TECHNOLOGIES - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

OPTIONS FOR BLADE RECYCLING – BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND TECHNOLOGIES Gary Leeke John Ferguson Professor of Chemical Engineering EcoIdeaM School of Water, Energy and Binn Eco Park Environment Glenfarg Cranfield University, UK Perthshire, Scotland UK Gary.A.Leeke@cranfield.ac.uk john.ferguson@ecoideam.co.uk Dec 7 th 2016 Onshore Renewables – Repowering – the Natural Heritage Considerations

Past and projected growth by sector: CFRP in the UK Reference : Shuaib et al. (2015a) Data acquired from Ernst and Young report in 2010 • Wind energy is the fastest growing mode of electricity production across the planet. UK forecast to generate at least 38% of its energy by wind by 2030 (Committee on Climate Change, 2015) • Higher power output needs longer wind turbine blade with higher CFRP for higher stiffness

Past and projected growth by sector: GFRP in the UK Data acquired from Ernst and Young report in 2010 Reference: Shuaib et al. (2015a) • GFRP is the main component in wind turbine blades. A single wind turbine blade from a 3 MW installation contains 4 tonnes fibre, 2.68 tonnes resin + composite material in the nacelle • ‘ Others ’ sector consist of construction and marine industries

CFRP in Blade Manufacture Globally 250,000 wind turbines spinning around the world - rapid  annual growth Scotland has over 2,800 wind turbines (2015) and a further 2,202  with planning consent Trend towards off-shore larger turbines 3-5 MW and upwards  (8-10 MW!!) > use of CFRP (strength) Concerns of global supply and cost of CFRP 10 to 20x cost of E-Glass  (expect increased CF manufacture) One CF manufacturer (Zoltek) alone has over 20,000 tonnes of CF in  turbines around the world ·

Embodied energy (TJ) loss due to low recycling uptake based on UK FRP waste in 2015 Reference: Shuaib et al. (2015a) Assumptions : · 98% of composite waste are sent to landfill (Halliwell, 2006) .

Recycling and Remanufacturing • Retain the value / energy Remanufacturing: Embodied energies of common composite constituent materials and 2 common metals • Corporate image / life cycle (Song et al., 2009) Avoids cost of deconstructing a very tough awareness material Material Embodied energy (MJ/kg) • Landfill costs (tax now £82.60/t, Use of turbines (re-engineered) as structural Carbon fibre 183 to 286 total cost £120-£130/t) components (roof beams), pillars etc Glass fibre 13 to 32 (Construction Innovation Centre) Polyester resin 63 to 78 • Legislation Epoxy resin 76 to 80 Modulus remanufacturing Aluminium alloys 196 to 257 • Open new markets to benefits of Stainless steel 110 to 210 composites

Past and projected UK GFRP and CFRP production and waste volume Reference: Shuaib et al. (2015b ) End of life waste : Worldwide, figure is projected to reach 225,000 tonnes for end of life blades by 2034 (Beauson and Brøndsted, 2016) Production waste : 10% and 40% are taken as waste rate for GFRP and CFRP production, respectively (Wood 2010, Bains and Stokes 2013)

Recycling / Recovery Processes • Mechanical • Thermal • Chemical • Combustion (energy recovery and cement kiln) Photo courtesy of Filon Products Ltd

The Recycling Technologies Mechanical process Pyrolysis: Solvolysis (grinding/HV fragmentation): 450 to 700 ° C < 400 ° C Typically 500-550 ° C 1 to 300 bar ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd, West Midlands, UK ECO-grinder TM , Eco Wolf Inc, Florida, USA Univ. of Birmingham, West Midlands, UK G. Oliveux, L.O. Dandy, G.A.Leeke , Current status of Recycling of Fibre Reinforced Polymers: review of technologies, reuse and resulting properties. Progress in Materials Science 2015, 72, pp. 61-99.

Recovered Fibre Properties Fibres recovered from separation processes: Single fibre tensile GF CF strength: Aligned Random -4 % at 500 ° C -52 % at 450 ° C discontinuous discontinuous Pyrolysis -82 % when post treated at -64 % at 550 ° C 600 ° C c. -7% and <15 % max. whatever -33 % at 275 ° C Continuous Solvolysis in water the tested conditions (new yarn) Palmer et al. Composites Part A 2009 Leeke et al. Progress in Materials Science 2015

Re-use of GFRP fractions Recyclate from grinding: • Ground GFRP = partial reinforcement or fillers in new composites (SMC or BMC) • Anti-static coatings • Conductive plastics/wood plastic composites • The fibre-rich fractions still contain resin residue  affect the adhesion to a new resin. • Mainly concerns production waste or scrap materials; real end-of-life waste is currently not treated. Re-Incorporation (dyed) Coarse GF Fine GF Powder Fractions recovered from ground GFRP Palmer et al. Composites Part A 2009

Glass Fibre Combustion Cement Kiln Route • Size reduced and mixed with RDF for combustion in cement kilns • Polymer burnt for energy recovery • Glass and CaCO 3 filler are mineral feedstock for cement (clinker) • Valid recycling route? – accepted in EU

The Challenges Challenges in bringing processes and products to market: Standards – creation or change Waste volumes – consistent supply Provenance Heterogeneity of feedstock Who will pay for recycling process? New H&S Finding investors Establish new markets for recycled fibres/materials For GFRP, recycling supply chain urgently needs to develop Closer working between FRP suppliers and designers

Thank You Acknowledgements EXHUME Project Team Efficient X-sector use of HeterogeneoUs MatErials in Manufacturing EP/K026348/1 CORE Creative Outreach in Resource Efficiency EP/K026429/1 Gary.A.Leeke@cranfield.ac.uk John.Ferguson@ecoideam.co.uk

References Bains, M., E. Stokes (2013). Developing a Resource Efficiency Action Plan for the Composites Sector, URS & Netcomposites. Beauson, J., and Brøndsted, P., (2016) Wind Turbine Blades: An End of Life Perspective, MARE-WINT, Book Chapter, pp 421- 432, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-39095-6_23 · Committee on Climate Change. Sectorial scenarios for the 5th carbon budget, Nov 2015, · Halliwell, S. (2006) End of Life Options for Composite Waste Recycle, Reuse or Dispose. Oliveux, O., Dandy, L.O., Leeke, G.A., (2015), Current status of Recycling of Fibre Reinforced Polymers: review of technologies, reuse and resulting properties. Progress in Materials Science 72, 61-99 Shuaib, N.A., Mativenga, P.T., Kazie, J., Job, S., (2015a). Resource Efficiency and Composite Waste in UK Supply Chain. Procedia CIRP 29, 662-667. · Shuaib, N.A., Mativenga, P.T., (2015b). Energy Intensity and Quality of Recyclate in Composite Recycling. ASME Proceeding (presented during ASME International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC) 2015) · Wood, K. (2010) Carbon fiber reclamation: Going commercial. High Performance Composite March 2010.