Work

Low-temperature catalytic chemical recycling of WTB-GFRP waste for glass fiber recovery and reuse

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The growing disposal of wind turbine blades composed of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) poses a major recycling challenge. In this study, we present a low-temperature catalytic chemical recycling method on GFRP blade waste for glass fiber recovery and evaluation of the mechanical performance of mortar reinforced with recovered glass fibers (rGF). The GFRP was degraded using Mn(acac)₃ in dimethyl sulfoxide at 110 °C, achieving 92.69% epoxy removal efficiency. A significant flexural strength up to 66.04% was achieved at 1% rGF, whereas virgin glass fiber (vGF) showed 29.1% improvement. Based on these results and the observed SEM analysis, a conceptual mechanistic framework and theoretical formula are proposed. The findings show that this catalytic process can recover glass fibers with high epoxy removal efficiency, and even substantial epoxy residue can be used to improve the mechanical performance of mortar composites, supporting and offering a sustainable pathway for valorizing blade waste across multiple material systems.

Source: Communications Chemistry

DOI: 10.1038/s42004-026-02235-9

Authors: Hiwot Tadesse Mekonnen, Su Qian, Chen De, Micheale Yihdego Gebreyohanes, Melese Tibebu Tegegne

Institution: Southwest Jiaotong University

Language: English

Topic: Fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,690