GENVIND

Composite materials are commonly used throughout the Danish manufacturing industry thanks to their good properties within strength and lifetime combined with low weight. The wind turbine industry, in particular, consumes vast amounts of composites. As a natural part of the strong position within wind energy and manufacturing of wind turbines, Denmark handles industrial composite waste and waste from end-of-life wind turbine blades corresponding to approx. 4,300 tonnes per year (*Source: The Danish Ministry of Environment 2013: ‘Denmark without waste’). The amount of waste is increasing as more wind farms are constructed onshore and offshore, and many wind turbines have reached end-of-life and are therefore dismantled.

The purpose of GENVIND is to identify and develop new and existing strategies for sustainable recycling of composites to provide Denmark with an environmental and financial solution. The consortium aims to demonstrate that it is possible to reuse waste in a wide range of products, components, and structures, ie furniture, skateboards and applications in building components and paint etc. The consortium supports the resource strategy presented by the Danish government. In line with the strategy, GENVIND aims to reintroduce waste material to the cycle where they are reused as new resources for the benefit of the environment and the industry.

GENVIND - an innovation consortium
The project runs until November 2016
The total budget is DKK 43.5 mio of which DKK 19 mio is funded by the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation

GENVIND has 25 consortium members:

• Danish companies from the wind turbine industry, the building sector, the colour/lacquer industry etc.
• Knowledge institutions: Technical University of Denmark, Aalborg University Esbjerg, University of Nottingham, Danish Technological Institute, and FORCE Technology
• Innovation networks and the Danish Plastics Federation