Posters

Abstract

Europe’s wind sector faces a growing challenge: disposal of End-of-Life (EOL) turbine blades. With the EU landfill ban on composite blades taking effect in 2025, existing disposal methods—incineration or cement co-processing—are proving costly, energy-intensive, and publicly contested. Our Wind2Water project proposes a circularity-by-design pathway through direct repurposing of EOL blades into modular catamaran hulls and floating pontoons for inland and coastal water transport. Instead of industrial-scale recycling, this approach relies on low-energy, low-cost adaptation: 10-12 m blade segments are cut with conventional circular saws, requiring no special equipment. These segments, when reinforced and sealed, form lightweight,hydrodynamic  durable catamaran hulls with an extended service life of 10–15 years.  Life-cycle assessment (LCA) shows upcycled hulls embody ~60% less energy than conventional FRP vessels and ~80% less than steel. Each blade repurposed avoids ~1.5 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and diverts 10–25 tonnes of composite waste from disposal. Substitution for wooden boatbuilding also reduces deforestation impacts. A proof-of-concept 4.5m four-seat catamaran, equipped with an electric drive, has been fabricated and tested in India, demonstrating stable buoyancy, low draft, and reduced propulsion demand compared to wooden equivalents.  While validated as proof-of-concept in India, the approach offers immediate relevance for Europe: it provides a visible, low-footprint alternative to disposal, reduces waste management costs for operators, and strengthens public trust in the wind sector’s sustainability credentials. This work demonstrates how circularity-by-design can create tangible environmental and social co-benefits while complementing ongoing development of advanced recycling technologies.