Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon S7N 5A9, Canada; Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom; Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom.
Waste Manag. 2021 Sep;133:59-70. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.07.032. Epub 2021 Aug 9.
Electricity production by wind turbines is considered a clean energy technology, but the life cycle of wind turbines could introduce environmental risks due to waste generation, especially at the decommissioning process. This study predicts the future wind turbine blade waste arising in Canada, throughout all life cycle stages, from manufacturing until end of life, based on the installed capacities of existing Canadian wind farms and projected future installations. Five alternative strategies for managing this waste stream are assessed in terms of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy demand, including landfilling, incineration, and mechanical recycling. For the base case scenario, it is observed that the total cumulative waste until 2050 is 275,299 tonnes, with on-site waste accounting for around 75% of this total. Waste generation is concentrated in provinces with greater wind power deployment: Ontario and Quebec alone account for 70% of total blade waste. Life cycle environmental impacts of waste management strategies are dependent on background energy systems, with incineration a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly when displacing low-carbon grid mixes. Cement kiln coprocessing achieves net zero emission by converting waste into energy and raw materials for the cement. Mechanical recycling can achieve substantial reductions in primary energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions but achieving financial viability would likely require substantial regulatory support.
风力涡轮机能将风能转化为电能，被认为是一种清洁能源技术，但风力涡轮机的生命周期也可能带来环境风险，尤其是在退役阶段。本研究根据加拿大现有风电场的装机容量和未来的预计装机容量，预测了加拿大在整个生命周期内（从制造到使用寿命结束）未来的风力涡轮机叶片废物产生量。评估了 5 种管理该废物流的替代策略，从生命周期温室气体排放和一次能源需求的角度评估，包括填埋、焚烧和机械回收。在基准情景下，预计到 2050 年，总累积废物量将达到 275299 吨，其中现场废物约占总量的 75%。废物产生集中在风力发电部署较多的省份：安大略省和魁北克省单独占总叶片废物的 70%。废物管理策略的生命周期环境影响取决于背景能源系统，焚烧是温室气体排放的重要来源，特别是在取代低碳电网组合时。水泥窑协同处置通过将废物转化为能源和水泥原料，实现了零排放。机械回收可以显著减少一次能源需求和温室气体排放，但要实现经济可行性，可能需要大量的监管支持。
