12 April 2024, Saxony, Leipzig: In the technical center on the campus of the University of Applied Sciences (HTWK), 4.3-meter-long parts of 19.3-meter-long dismantled wind turbine rotor blades that are around 25 years old are being examined by a team led by HTWK Professor Robert Böhm for their mechanical properties, among other things. The investigations are part of EuReCOMP, an EU-funded collaborative research project that aims to develop sustainable methods for the recycling and reuse of composite materials from wind energy components. Scientists from colleges, universities and institutions in Germany, Portugal, Spain and Greece are currently working on the research project, which will run until 2026. Among other things, the aim is to develop methods to reduce the large amount of waste from obsolete wind turbine rotor blades and the associated ecological problems at landfills with new technologies. - Photo: Waltraud Grubitzsch/dpa