Swancor powers China’s first fully recyclable wind turbine

Taiwanese company Swancor has played a major part in building China’s first fully recyclable wind turbine in Jilin.

The 220-metre turbine at Jilin has been installed in partnership with Goldwind Science & Technology and Sinoma Wind Blade Co. The manufacture uses Swancor’s EzCiclo recyclable thermosetting resin, cutting waste and lowering the carbon footprint of wind energy. The Taiwanese company launched the resin in 2022.

Equivalent performance

Glass or carbon fibre composites are recycled through Swancor’s CleaVER technology. The process turns waste into reclaimed fibres and oligomers. It effectively closes the loop in the production and disposal of wind turbine blades.

Unlike other composite recycling methods such as pyrolysis and solvolysis, Swancor’s system requires no changes to existing blade production lines, no crushing of fibre-reinforced polymer and generates no waste solvents or gas. The recycled fibres retain a mechanical performance equivalent to new fibres and the oligomers can also be reused.

Wide application

EzCiclo resin is not limited to wind energy. The process can be applied in automotive, sports and other composite-heavy industries, addressing broader environmental challenges while minimising the carbon footprint. It meets RoHS and REACH standards.

The offshore wind blade market is expected to jump from EUR 11.7 billion this year to EUR 41 billion by 2035. From 2030 onwards, carbon-fibre and hybrid designs are expected to gain market share, enabling larger, lighter rotors of over 100 metres.

Meanwhile, the wind energy recycling market, currently valued at EUR 55.2 billion, will continue to see ‘robust’ growth. Swancor hopes its turbine will set a precedent for circularity in the global wind sector, showing that high-performance, recyclable composites are feasible at scale.