ReComp - Circular streams from glass fibre composite
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 4 230 000 |
| Project duration | November 2018 - May 2022 |
| Status | Completed |
Important results from the project
Large streams of fiberglass composite waste are predicted, and by 2025, 700,000 ton are expected in Europe. Circular solutions for fiberglass composites (GFRP), which include End-of-Life (EOL) wind turbine blades, leisure boats and production waste, are lacking today and therefore these waste streams go to incineration (Sweden), landfill (EU) and a smaller part to a secondary market . The goal for ReComp was to investigate new innovative solutions for EOL and production waste GFRPs via chemical and mechanical recycling as well as re-purpose in ‘second life solutions’.
Expected long term effects
Solutions that can reach the market soon need to be developed for GFRPs. Mechanical recycling and repurpose of EOL GFRP are solutions that can be implemented within a few years. Chemical recycling for GFRPs requires large investments and is at a lower TRL. To build economic business models, a new value chain is needed for handling GFRPs from 1. collection, 2. quality assurance, 3. transport 4. technical process 5. end users of recycled material in products. No producer responsibility exists today. To trigger changes, GFRP recycling requires the development of e.g. policies and laws.
Approach and implementation
ReComp has studied solutions for GFRP structures: 1. Chemical recycling with solvolysis/HTL of GFRP from wind turbine blades and boats. Polyester and epoxy GFRP degrade in 4 h resp. 19 h at 270-350 ° C at 175 bar pressure. Glass fiber (GF) strength is reduced by 60% compared to virgin GF and the plastic forms an oil product. 2. Reuse/repurpose of EOL wind turbine blades and GFRP production waste (boat) as construction material for bridges, file divider, table and repair materials. 3. Mechanical recycling of GFRP for reinforcement in products such as thermoplastics, foam cores and concrete.