Posters
Come meet the poster presenters to ask them questions and discuss their work
We would like to invite you to come and see the posters at our upcoming conference. The posters will showcase a diverse range of research topics, and will give delegates an opportunity to engage with the authors and learn more about their work. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or simply curious about the latest developments in your field, we believe that the posters will offer something of interest to everyone. So please join us at the conference and take advantage of this opportunity to learn and engage with your peers in industry and the academic community.
PO327: The WINDSAVE project is focused on the creation of a scalable and replicable industrial plant for the treatment and selective recovery of end-of-life wind turbine blades.
Mauro Zilio, CEO, Alderian
Abstract
The goal is to transform a complex, bulky, and rarely treated waste into a strategic resource for the national and European circular economy. The large-scale deployment of wind farms across Italy and Europe over the past two decades has led to an increasing accumulation of decommissioned blades, making the development of advanced technological solutions for their end-of-life management a priority. The aim is to avoid the dispersion of environmentally harmful and industrially valuable materials. At the heart of the initiative is the design and implementation of a national-scale processing platform capable of treating decommissioned wind blades industrially, recovering their composite materials—especially glass and carbon fibers combined with thermosetting resins—through innovative mechanical and thermal processes with low energy consumption. The plant will be designed with a modular and scalable approach, incorporating a digital management system for material flows to ensure traceability, certification, and interoperability with other infrastructures in the national recycling system. A controlled national supply chain will be established to support the system, including collection centers, storage facilities, pre- treatment operations, industrial logistics, processing plants, and secondary raw material trading systems—leveraging existing regional expertise. Special attention will be given to the valorization of composite materials, which are currently rarely recycled but increasingly in demand in industrial markets, particularly in material chemistry, sustainable construction, transportation, and technical components. Recycled materials from wind blades, when properly processed, represent a concrete opportunity to fuel new production cycles, enhance national competitiveness, and open up export opportunities in international markets seeking certified recycled materials.
