Following years of research, Swancor has announced that it has developed a new recyclable thermosetting resin, EzCiclo, which marks a past and future in the manufacture of composites that are going to be 100% recyclable, which means that the carbon footprint is going to be reduced to the minimum.

Initially, the collaboration has been based on that between Swancor and other large companies to provide a solution.

From the outset, Swancor has been working together with other large companies to provide a solution to the problem of recycling large blades and other turbine components – once their lifespan has ended – generally to be replaced by longer and efficient ones.

The EzCiclo thermosetting resin breaks with the limitations of traditional thermosetting resins, such as the epoxy resins used in the manufacture of these huge blades that can already exceed 100 meters in length. The great advantage of the composites manufactured with the EzCiclo is that, at the end of its cycle or lifespan, the composite can be degraded by means of  treatment in a reactor, and by means of heat and the help of a non-aggressive solvent – CleaVER – that breaks the polymeric chain of the composite and manages to degrade and dissolve it, so that the resulting products, a liquid oligomer and the fibers, can be separated to be used again later”.

In fact, it is a great example of circular economy achieved at a reduced cost. On the one hand, the resulting liquid can be reused in the manufacture of a new blade or used with other epoxy resins in the manufacture of a composite other than a blade.  On the other hand, the cut fibers thus obtained can be recycled to be used in another production system, and thus achieve a circular economy by using them in the manufacture of parts that do not require high mechanical performance.

As can be understood, the technological leap achieved by Swancor is bound to cause an environmental revolution that was beyond belief until very recently, by being able to manufacture these new blades, plus the other components of a turbine such as nacelles and spinners, with recycled resin without causing any environmental damage. 

On the other hand, the recycled EzCiclo – alone, or with the addition of new non-recycled resin, can be used not only in the manufacture of new blades, but in many applications related to the sports or automotive industry, thus reducing the pollution produced by traditional manufacturing methods.