The second research project of Grötschel GmbH was on the topic of “Where to put the rotor blades when the first wind turbines are dismantled.” The project is registered under the funding code KK5293101FF1 in the ZIM program. In principle, recycling can be carried out in three ways: chemically, thermally, or mechanically. In our project, we investigated a method of mechanical shredding and recycling for bog mats. So far, bog mats have been made from tropical woods. Products made entirely of plastic are already partially replacing these. In order to introduce as little new plastic as possible, it is worth using fillers.
High prices are often paid for the disposal of rotor blades. Therefore, the shredding and reuse of these is quite interesting. With conventional crushers, everything is created: from dust to 20x20x0.1cm flakes, which unfortunately could not be processed in the project. However, this should be possible with a fundamentally different technology.
In our project, we shredded the chips again and used them as rotor blade scrap. TU Freiberg and Gummitechnik Ziller iteratively selected a suitable polymer. Grötschel GmbH developed, designed, and built a production plant for this purpose, and Firma Richter supplied the conveyor components according to specifications. With the process demonstrator, we manufactured four bog mats in-house and tested them on the construction site during the TDDK extension. The demonstrator is now located at BOTHUR in Großenhain and can be used there. Further development work for scaling is absolutely necessary.
