A comprehensive review of waste wind turbine blades in China: Current status and resource utilization

As wind turbines reach the end of their design life and the industry upgrades, the world will face the serious problem of a large number of end-of-life turbines. Some of these wind turbine materials can be recycled using traditional and proven processes, but the recycling of composite materials such as turbine blades is very challenging. In China, wind power, one of the most dominant sources of energy, has long ranked first in the world in terms of total installed wind turbine capacity, and by 2040, China will face three peaks of wind turbine decommissioning. Importantly, the Chinese government has introduced very strict policies and regulations regarding the management of waste wind turbine blade composites (WWTBs). This paper focuses on the various recycling methods (mechanical, chemical and thermochemical) of WWTBs and their resource utilization pathways (laddering, direct and indirect) of the recycled materials. However, the various recycling options for wind turbine blades have not yet been industrialized and the recycling and resource utilization rates are still low. Fortunately, there is a growing amount of research on various means of recycling, and its industrialization is constantly being attempted. At the same time, this review has identified challenges in the recycling of WWTBs from the existing literature, highlighting future research possibilities in the reuse of recycled wind turbine blades. This work will provide guidance for the efficient, clean and low-carbon treatment and utilization of WWTBs from a Chinese perspective.