From Wind Turbine Blades to Recycled Glass Fibers: Analytical Modeling and Lab‐Scale Recycling Protocol

ABSTRACT Glass fiber‐reinforced thermosets are widely used in wind turbine blades. However, recycling these materials remains challenging because thermoset matrices cannot be remelted, and high‐temperature processes degrade glass fibers. Curing agents such as Recyclamine developed by Aditya Birla—an amine‐based cleavable hardener—enable the recovery of glass fibers with preserved properties and the conversion of the epoxy matrix into thermoplastic polymers through a mild chemical recycling and precipitation process. Despite successful laboratory‐scale demonstrations, optimisation of the recycling process remains largely unexplored. This study investigates two key questions: (i) Can a simple analytical model predict the dissolution time of Recyclamine‐based composites? (ii) What conditions maximize clean fiber recovery? Two analytical models are evaluated. An experimental campaign varying temperature and reaction time quantifies matrix dissolution through mass loss analysis. For the samples studied, complete fiber recovery occurred after 120 min at 90°C; similar results at 80°C required approximately twice as long. The empirical models studied need to be grounded in robust experimental data, and our results highlight the need for further refinement of the lab‐scale recycling protocol. These findings support process optimisation and scale‐up by reducing experimental effort. The proposed modeling approach provides a practical tool for planning and decision‐making in composite recycling.