DOCTORAL POSITION (R1) – CIRCULARITY AND SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE OF WIND TURBINE BLADE DESIGN AND END-OF-LIFE MANAGEMENT

Europe currently is among the global leaders in wind energy technology accounting for more than 70% of all wind power installed in the world. This meets nearly 14% of the EU’s power demand, being the second largest form of power generation in the EU. However, the huge growth that wind energy has experienced in Europe since the 90’s is starting to pose environmental problems associated to the challenges of the end-of-life management of wind farms that have reached the end of their useful lives.

The Horizon Europe co-funded project EoLO-HUBs (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101096425), comes to propose and demonstrate novel solutions to recycle high value materials from the wind turbine blades, developing a set of innovative composite material recycling technologies.

Wind turbines blades are made of a combination of different materials, such as wood, metalics, adhesives, coatings, and composites. The recycling of end of life composites is challenging due to the heterogeneity of the material (i.e including both fibres and polymerics) and the strong adhesion between the fibre and the polymer. Recycling composite materials frequently comes with the undesirable side-effect of "downgrading", resulting in a raw material with low performance and therefore a low value. As a result, most of this end of life composite is currently landfilled or incinerated.

In this context, EoLO-HUBs’ solution will provide an answer to the three main areas involved in the decommissioning and recycling of end-of-life wind turbines:

1. Decommissioning and pre-treatment of wind turbine blades, including handling, non-destructive inspection tools, cutting, shredding, and sorting
2. Sustainable fibre reclamation processes addressing two alternative technologies: Low carbon pyrolysis and green chemistry solvolysis.
3. Upgrading processes for the recovered fibres, including both glass fibre and carbon fibre.

Within the framework of the EoLO-HUBs project, we are launching a PhD student position to i) analyse the circularity and sustainability performance of existing and alternative wind turbine blade designs and propose circular design strategies for wind turbine blades, and ii) analyse wind turbine blade waste generation over time and evaluate the potential resource requirements, environmental impacts and improvement opportunities of alternative end-of-life management scenarios, including thermal and chemical recycling of wind turbine blades, and technology-enabled business models.

The student will join the Research Group of Circular Economy and Industrial Sustainability (CEIS) in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Mondragon. CEIS is a young dynamic research group that integrates experts from the fields of industrial product design, material and energy engineering, industrial production and organisation, environmental engineering and eco-technologies, corporate social responsibility, and innovation and business management, who work closely with industries, business associations and public organisations to facilitate a sustainable energy transition and circular economy deployment. More specifically, the research group works on four major lines of research and innovation: i) circular and sustainable design of products and technologies, ii) circular and sustainable industrial manufacturing, iii) technology-enabled circular and sustainable business models, and iv) circularity and sustainability assessment methodologies, tools and indicators.

Position details

• Researcher profile: First Stage Researcher (R1).
• Research field: Circular Economy, Industrial Ecology, Eco-design, Eco-Innovation, Environmental Technologies, Life Cycle Assessment, Material Science and Engineering, Renewable Energy, Sustainability Indicators.
• Type of contract: 3 fully-funded years (36 months)
• Job status: Full time
• Hours per week: 40
• Application Deadline: 28-07-2023 (CET, GMT+01:00)
• Starting date: September 2023.
• Is the job funded through an EU Research Framework Programme? (YES)
  • Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme; Climate, Energy and Mobility.
  • Reference number: Grant agreement ID: 101096425

Hiring Organisation & Offer Posting Contact Details

• Organization: Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Faculty of Engineering.
• Research group: Circular Economy and Industrial Sustainability.
• Organisation type: Higher Education Institute
• Location: 20500, Arrasate-Mondragon, Gipuzkoa, SPAIN
• Contact email: jmfernandez@mondragon.edu.
• Phone: +34943794700

Some skills acquired after completing the PhD projects

• High understanding of circular economy and industrial sustainability concepts, strategies and technology innovations
• Expertise in the development and application of circularity, eco-design and life cycle assessment methods, tools and indicators
• Expertise in the publication of journal papers (preparation, submission, revision)
• Expertise in the participation to international conferences (oral presentations)
• Expertise in the participation to international project meetings and research stays
• Planification, organisational, communication and networking skills
• Project management and development
• Critical thinking and analytical skills

How to apply

• Option 1: Fill up the application forms in the online job application platforms (e.g. Talents Clue, Euraxes, Science.eus, LinkedIn).
• Option 2: Send an email to Dr. Joan Manuel F. Mendoza (jmfernandez@mondragon.edu) before July 28, 2023 with subject “ECSI–EoLO application” and include the following documents:
  1. Complete CV
  2. Motivation letter
  3. Recommendation letter would be also appreciated (although not essential)

For more information, please contact Joan Manuel F. Mendoza.