Grasim, Suzlon join hands to develop recyclable wind turbine blades

Grasim Industries’ Advanced Materials Division and Aditya Birla Renewables (ABRen) have partnered with Suzlon Energy to develop and commercialise wind turbines equipped with recyclable blades, aiming to address the growing challenge of wind turbine blade waste.

The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a pilot basis, with plans to demonstrate the technology at a selected renewable energy project site of ABRen.

The partnership will focus on integrating recyclable blade technology into wind turbines and exploring its wider adoption across India and other markets.

Conventional wind turbine blades are largely made using thermoset composite materials, which are difficult to recycle at the end of their operational life and are often disposed of in landfills or through incineration.

Grasim will supply its Recyclamine epoxy technology, which enables chemical recycling of composite materials and recovery of valuable constituents for reuse in other applications. Suzlon will integrate the technology into blade manufacturing, while ABRen will deploy a turbine fitted with recyclable blades to assess its performance under real-world operating conditions.

The companies will also explore opportunities to scale up commercial adoption of the technology.

Rajesh Balakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, Advanced Materials, Grasim Industries, said the collaboration would help build a circular wind energy ecosystem by combining Recyclamine technology with Suzlon’s manufacturing expertise and ABRen’s renewable energy capabilities.

Girish Tanti, co-Founder, Suzlon Group, said the company was working towards making all its future wind turbines recyclable within the next three to four years. Its S144 platform already has one of the lowest carbon footprints among wind turbines globally, he added.

Amit Jain, Chief Executive Officer, Aditya Birla Renewables, said the partnership would help address end-of-life challenges associated with wind turbine blades and strengthen sustainability across the renewable energy sector.