The wider use of advanced materials in innovation markets, including composite materials like fibre-reinforced plastics, is hindered by uncertainty around their reuse and recycling. Recycling composite materials is more complex compared to traditional materials due to their composition of multiple constituent materials. Existing recycling processes such as pyrolysis and solvolysis are continuously advancing but require specific knowledge of the constituent materials for efficient application. Currently, this knowledge is often unavailable, especially for end-of-life composite parts. Using the DigiPass outcomes and introducing a DMPP for composites will greatly improve circularity by providing information on materials used, assembly methods, and recommended recycling processes throughout the value chain. This would eliminate the need for costly part characterization before recycling, making the process economically feasible and resulting in lower cost recycled materials as an attractive alternative to virgin fibre materials. Clear recycling routes and circular value chains would also encourage wider adoption of composite materials in industries like automotive and construction, thus promoting sustainable use and expanding their overall usage in industry.
In this project, a wind rotor blade was chosen as demonstrator part for the use case Advanced Composite Materials. This part will be in the center for the development of a concept for a DMPP for composite materials. It is a good choice of high relevance as a large amount of wind rotor blade waste will occur in Europe in the next decades, based on the Green Deal and the related transition to renewable energies. Thus, wind rotor blades will make up a relevant proportion of end-of-life composite components. This is both a challenge and chance at the same time – the industrialization of existing recycling technologies for the constituents of wind rotor blades must be pushed forward and the technologies have to be optimized. At the same time, certain waste volumes are necessary to build economically viable circular value chains for composite materials. A DMPP for composite materials will be a crucial part in order to be successful here and master the transition to a circular economy in advanced fiber-based composite materials.