As the ECORES WIND initiative gains momentum, partners met on the 26th and 27th February 2025 in Bursa, Turkey, hosted by Ahmet Sertac Turan, R&D and Engineering Director and his team at A-plas – a leading producer of automotive components with more than 700 employees.
The consortium gathered to assess progress, define critical specifications, and refine strategies for developing circular resins for wind energy applications and was moderated by Aitziber Iturmendi, project coordinator from GAIKER. Key focus at the early stage of the project concerned three main challenges:
- Defining requirements and specifications for the innovative circular resins
- Requirements for remanufacturing, reusing, repairing or recycling of lightweight composite structures & validation
- Strengthening Communication, Dissemination, and Stakeholder Engagement
Defining requirements and specifications for the innovative circular resins
Patricia Ares and Oscar Salas, international manager of GAIKER steered the conversation about what will be the added value of ECORES WIND and kicked off the technical discussion. Marco Moschini of HPC Italy presented the first deliverable which focuses on defining the requirements and specifications for the innovative circular resins being developed by ECORES WIND. The activities involve comparing existing material specifications in the wind energy sector with the properties of the newly proposed resins. The essential challenge is to match parameters including mechanical properties, chemical and thermal resistance as well as compatibility with conventional materials.
Development of novel advanced materials for circular composites
One of the main technical challenges of ECORES WIND is to formulate and establish requirements for processability (remanufacture, reuse, repair or recycle) of lightweight composite structures that are specifically suited to wind energy components. Raquel Verdejo, The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Gianmarco Griffini, Politecnico di Milano and Sandra Medel, Onyriq and Aitziber Iturmendi presented the approach to the matrices that are being tailored to achieve specific physical and mechanical characteristics, such as viscosity, reactivity, glass transition temperature and molecular weight. These properties influence resin processability and composite performance, as well as manufacturing parameters, including resin flow, curing cycle, vacuum conditions, and fibre wetting (both carbon and glass).
Circular resin manufacturing validation
The newly developed solutions will undergo validation activities that were introduced by Carlos Aragon and Vanesa Garcia from Fidamc. This phase focuses on producing composite materials for wind blade components and assessing their manufacturability and performance. The testing and characterization of the resins and adhesives at the composite level will be crucial in determining their effectiveness and durability in real-world applications.
Circular Wind turbine components life prediction simulation
Lucas Kakumoto de Melo from German Aerospace Center (DLR) introduced the challenge of developing new methods for assessing wind blade performance, considering new materials through simulations.
Strengthening Communication, Dissemination, and Stakeholder Engagement
The meeting featured a presentation and workshop led by Sebastian Žužek of META Circularity, CDE Manager of ECORES WIND, covering key aspects of communication, dissemination, and exploitation. He outlined three key deliverables: the Public Awareness, Engagement, and Dissemination Strategy and Action Plan; the Project Website; and the Communication Toolkit.
Partners participated in a dissemination workshop to articulate the unique value proposition of ECORES WIND. This was followed by a stakeholder mapping exercise, where participants identified key stakeholders within their organisations who could benefit from and contribute to the project’s results.
Last but no least, James Broughton, Oxford Brookes University and Janko Kreikemeier of DLR presented the approach for performing the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis of the wind energy systems modified to accommodate the novel resins and processes.
To conclude the first day, partners visited one of three A-plas production facilities. Ahmet Sertac Turan, R&D and Engineering Director at A-plas, guided the participants around the plant explaining the manufacturing process of automotive parts. In the project, A-plas will demonstrate the feasibility of producing high-value polymeric automotive components using materials from ECORES WIND composites at the end of their life using injection moulding process.
On the second day, the project coordinator team led the discussions focused on the Data Management Plan and the Risk Management. These aspects are crucial for ensuring the successful implementation of the project, mitigating potential challenges, and ensuring compliance.
Photo Gallery
