Posters

Abstract

Covestro developed a portfolio of polyurethane (PU) solutions for various applications within the wind energy industry. An advanced PU resin system for vacuum infusion of wind blades opens up new opportunities for blade design and manufacturing, energy generation and recycling. In 2022, about 1,500 wind rotor blades have been manufactured with the advanced Covestro polyurethane resin. These PU turbines will potentially generate 3 billion kW·h of renewable energy and saving 2.4 million tons of CO2 emissions compared to coal-generated electricity. Furthermore, Covestro received the JEC innovation award in the category of sustainability in 2021. This is in line with Covestro's strive for the vision “to become fully circular”. That includes that the polymer waste will be valorised to become new virgin-equivalent feedstock to produce new high-performance plastics. Many of the products of Covestro are thermosets. Accordingly, Covestro focuses on chemical recycling such as chemolysis and smart pyrolysis. In chemolysis the polymer is broken in a solvent, whereas in pyrolysis, the polymer is broken with high temperature. For adjacent product types, the establishment of these processes is even funded in the frame of European projects. These processes should also be applicable for Covestro's wind systems. Besides its favorable recycling profile, our resin enables efficient processing due to its low viscosity and a long lifetime of the blade and larger blades due to its mechanical properties. The use of PU in the composites and coatings of a wind blade results in shorter manufacturing cycles, more durable blades, reduced maintenance frequency, and longer blade designs. These features play a significant role in lowering the CO2-footprint and enabling the fast deployment of new wind capacity with increased productivity for wind park operators, resulting in reliable and affordable clean energy for the final user.