The goal of ECORES WIND is to develop novel circular resin material systems tailored for composite structures in wind energy applications. These materials are intended to enhance circularity and minimize the environmental footprint of entire wind energy systems throughout their life cycles. The project seeks to tackle the ecological impact attributed to conventional resin systems used in wind turbine blades. It aims to explore alternative choices that facilitate enhanced circularity, prolonged lifespan, and efficient decommissioning. ECORES WIND will evaluate the ecological advantages inherent in each resin system it develops. By comparing them to state-of-the art materials in various categories, the project aims to ascertain improvements in recyclability, circularity, and the potential of bio-based products to achieve a more sustainable future. The introduction of circular resins in coordination with the use of advanced disassembly strategies will make the decommissioning of wind blades and reutilisation of materials for other applications possible and cost effective.

The general objective of the RECREATE project is to develop a set of innovative technologies aimed at exploiting the potential of End-of-Life (EoL) complex composite waste as feedstock for profitable reuse of parts and materials in the manufacturing industry. In the light of this, more specific objectives are: - to develop and validate in relevant environment (TRL6) novel reuse strategies for large EoL composite parts based on smart recognition and inspection for sorting (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy), high precision dismantling (laser-shock) and repair, temperature-assisted reshaping, design for disassembly based on reversible joints, AI-assisted decision support systems; - to develop and validate in relevant environment (TRL6) innovative recycling technologies (catalyst-assisted green solvolysis and electrofragmentation) allowing simultaneous recovery of high quality, integer, clean fibers and of an organic resin fraction reusable as coating material, at the very end of the multiple reuse processes of parts; - to demonstrate at TRL6 the use of smart and green reversible thermoset resins as enabling materials for the realization of the next generation of fiber-reinforced composites with easier repairability and enhanced reusability, facilitating the transition towards recyclable-by-design composites; - to develop digital tools for the quantitative evaluation of the environmental and economic performance of the proposed technologies (LCA/LCC), as well as their circularity assessment and acceleration; - to co-design innovative digital learning resources, based on MOOCs, gamification and digital twins of some specialty technologies developed in the project, with easy adoption and high replicability. The objectives and ambition of RECREATE are fully compliant with the general requirements of the Horizon Europe - Digital, Industry and Space 2021 Work Programme, and with the specific requirements of the call Horizon-CL4-2021-Resilience-01-01.

The European remanufacturing industry is crucial for the sustainable transition of Europe, thanks to the savings in energy, materials and functionality that is guaranteed by the process. In fact, the socio- economic benefits of remanufacturing, in terms of number of workers, skills development and technological uptake, are as impactful as the environmental benefits. However, to future-proof the European remanufacturing industry and increase its competitiveness, the obstacles facing the human worker need to be addressed as a matter of strategic urgency. Currently, established remanufacturing sectors recognized the barriers in the limited automation, poor human inclusion, lack of traceability and restricted use of digitalization. Hence, rEUman aims at developing and demonstrating a novel paradigm of human-centric remanufacturing approach for the European industry; acting at factory and value-chain levels. At factory level, the main industrial need is to guarantee high regeneration rates of the remanufactured products and to achieve traceability of the remanufacturing process-chain. While at value-chain level, the main industrial need is to guarantee stability in terms of volume and quality of the post-use products. rEUman shall demonstrate the new remanufacturing paradigm, which is intrinsically human-safe, target-driven in regeneration and certification, flexible while facing variability in post-use parts, robust and replicable to new circular business cases. To that end, rEUman addresses the call topic by (i) developing cutting edge remanufacturing approaches (factory level) and integrating them into the value-chain , (ii) demonstrating functional retention in three sectors (Automotive, Home appliances and Optoelectronics), (iii) introducing traceability in remanufacturing by implementing the first remanufacturing-centred DPP, (iv) considering operation and economic viability by showcasing complete business cases coupled with designed training material.