Life-cycle assessment of wind turbine blade recycling strategies: Co-processing vs. incineration and landfilling

The progress of industrialization and rising electricity demand have significantly impacted various aspects of our lives, leading to a prioritization of green electricity sources such as wind turbines. However, managing the waste from end-of-life turbine blades poses a significant challenge, particularly as the first generation of wind turbines in Europe, primarily made of glass fibre-reinforced thermosets, reaches the end of service life. Unfortunately, landfilling and incineration remain common disposal methods in many EU countries. Co-processing end-of-life blades in cement manufacturing offers a promising alternative by enabling energy and material recovery. This method aligns with sustainable development and circular economy goals. Cement production, known for its high CO2 emissions and extensive raw material consumption, can benefit from substituting ground or shredded turbine blades, which contain organic and inorganic components. This study conducts a comparative life-cycle assessment of incineration and co-processing across different European countries to identify the disposal method with the least environmental impact. The evaluation focuses on carbon footprint reduction and water conservation as key benefits. Findings reveal that while incineration poses risks to global warming, it can help preserve water. In contrast, co-processing yields environmental benefits across all assessed categories by conserving raw materials for cement production. The normalized results indicate that human health is the most impacted area of protection for both processes, with resource benefits influenced by the type of energy produced in the examined countries. The Global Warming Potential values for co-processing are similar across the four countries (−525 kg CO2-eq for Germany, −523 kg CO2-eq for Spain, −533 kg CO2-eq for Italy, −494 kg CO2-eq for the Netherlands), representing an environmental benefit from substituting the raw mineral feedstock with EoL turbine blades. Moreover, the results show that, in terms of Human Health and Ecosystems, co-processing produces environmental benefits, whereas incineration generates damage (positive impact values) due to emissions that are harmful to living species regardless of geographical location.