The ZEBRA (Zero wastE Blade ReseArch) consortium announced the successful completion of extensive validation testing for the second recyclable wind turbine blade, a significant milestone in advancing the wind industry’s commitment to a circular economy. Crafted at LM Wind Power’s blade plant in Castellón, Spain, the 77-meter-long blade utilized Arkema’s recyclable thermoplastic liquid resin, Elium®, known for its recyclability, and high-performance glass fabrics from Owens Corning. The blade incorporates innovative Carbon-Elium® resin spar cap technology and a novel adhesive from Arkema’s subsidiary, Bostik, specializing in adhesive solutions.
The second ZEBRA blade employs recycled Elium® resin in the manufacturing of a shear web, a structurally significant component of the blade. This breakthrough underscores the resin technology’s potential to deliver sustainable blade designs, embodying the circular principles of Elium® resin.
After the successful manufacture of the first recyclable blade in March 2022, the ZEBRA consortium embarked on an intensive development and testing phase to create the necessary technologies for a Carbon-Elium® resin spar design. This involved material and process development to ensure the attainment of required mechanical properties.
In close collaboration with LM Wind Power’s skilled Castellon team, the consortium developed the necessary manufacturing processes to ensure the production of full-scale components. The first recyclable ZEBRA blade has already undergone comprehensive validation testing at LM Wind Power’s Test and Validation Centre in Denmark, with recycling tests currently in progress. Concurrently, full-scale structural lifetime testing of the second blade has commenced, achieving successful completion of static testing, subjecting the blade to extreme loads.
As reported by 3BL CSR WIRE, launched in September 2020, the ZEBRA project, led by the French research center IRT Jules Verne, is a distinctive partnership involving industrial companies such as Arkema, CANOE, ENGIE, LM Wind Power, Owens Corning, and SUEZ. The project’s overarching goal is to demonstrate the technical, economic, and environmental viability of full-scale thermoplastic wind turbine blades, employing an eco-design approach to facilitate recycling.
