The idea of recycled wind turbine blades may sound, at least, strange. Reusing that material from wind turbines is not an easy task.
However, a Spanish brand and an energy company found a way to give these giants a second life when they are no longer in use. They created a line of sneakers with these blades as raw material.
The company Acciona Energía and the fashion brand El Ganso joined forces to launch a unique shoe in the world, with the sole made from the recycling of a wind turbine blade.
The recycling of these blades is one of the major challenges facing the wind industry now that thousands of wind turbines are reaching the end of their useful life.
The alliance between Acciona Energía and El Ganso to innovate and reuse
Over a year ago, Acciona Energía sat down with the Spanish fashion brand El Ganso to establish an alliance based on mutual commitment to sustainability and the circular economy.
This first joint project to recycle out-of-service wind turbine materials and use them in the manufacturing of an exclusive line of sustainable sneakers was born.
They carried out numerous abrasion, torsion, and flexibility tests to finally conclude that the combination of these materials allowed maintaining the essential properties of resistance, adhesion, and durability of conventional sneakers.
How the sneaker model is
For the making of this line of sneakers, a 23-meter-long blade from the Aibar wind farm in Navarra was used, which had been in operation since 1998.
For more than 20 years, this blade captured the wind used to generate 12,500 megawatt-hours of clean energy, equivalent to the consumption of 3500 households. This avoided the emission of 5461 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Or in other words: the purifying effect of 300,000 trees.
“We have managed to obtain a very fine powder from a decommissioned wind turbine blade containing fiberglass and resin which, in combination with rubber, allows for the manufacture of a sole that maintains conventional properties,” says Asun Padrós, innovation project manager at Acciona Energía.
To obtain this powder, a micronization process was applied to the blade, a technique consisting of reducing the size of the fiberglass and epoxy resins to microns through mechanical transformation.
In this line of sneakers, 20% of blade waste was incorporated into the rubber in the manufacturing of the new range of sustainable footwear. Among the goals was to achieve carbon-neutral footwear, with no carbon dioxide emissions.
“The upper part of the sneaker is made with vegan leather using a manufacturing system that maintains and controls the emissions emitted,” added Francisco Rodríguez, responsible for its design and development.
“As for the insole, it is 100% recycled and breathable, made of polyurethane. Care is taken to actually reduce CO2 emissions,” he added.
The lifespan of wind turbines
According to the Wind Business Association (AEE), in Spain alone, there are approximately 22,000 operating wind turbines.
Of these, around 7400 have been in service for more than two decades, while 1350 have exceeded 25 years, raising the need to consider their dismantling.
Close to 90% of a wind turbine is recyclable, as they are mainly made of materials such as metal or concrete, with mature recycling chains.
