Eco startup targets wind turbine blade waste with new recycling tech
A Derbyshire start-up developing technology to recycle notoriously difficult composite materials is preparing to enter the wind energy market as it moves towards commercialisation and begins work on its first full-scale recycling unit.
Sustainable Extricko, founded by brothers Joe and Sam Penhaul Smith, originally set out to tackle waste generated by the sailing industry. The company has since developed a steam‑and‑pressure process capable of breaking down composite structures into their constituent parts, allowing valuable fibres and chemicals to be recovered rather than discarded.
The business is now working with its first major customer, a maritime technology manufacturer, to design a bespoke recycling system for its production line. At the same time, the team is exploring how the same approach could help address one of renewable energy’s most persistent challenges: the disposal of wind turbine blades.
Composites, typically made by combining plastics with glass or carbon fibres, are used extensively in turbine blades, boats, vehicles and aircraft. Their strength and durability make them ideal for demanding applications, but the same properties make them extremely difficult to recycle at end of life.
The issue is becoming increasingly urgent for the wind industry. Most decommissioned blades in the UK have historically been sent to landfill or incinerated, and waste volumes are expected to rise sharply as older wind farms are repowered. Across the UK and Europe, annual blade waste is forecast to reach around 25,000 tonnes, increasing to between 45,000 and 52,000 tonnes by 2030.
Sustainable Extricko believes its process could offer a viable alternative by recovering fibres and extracting high‑value compounds that can be reused in manufacturing.
Development of the technology has been backed by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) through its role in the Scottish Bio-based Manufacturing Launchpad, led by Innovate UK. The programme supports companies developing sustainable materials and biotechnologies.
Edinburgh Innovations, the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service, has also helped optimise the recovery of chemicals from the recycling process.
Dr Joe Penhaul Smith, co-founder and chief technology officer, said the company quickly realised the scale of the opportunity: “We started out looking at the problem in the sailing industry, but very quickly realised that the challenge extended far beyond boats and sails. Composite materials are used across some of the world’s biggest industries, but there is still a gap when it comes to dealing with them at the end of their life.”
The company is also collaborating with Dr Joanna Sadler, senior lecturer in biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, to explore how recovered compounds could be converted into useful chemicals such as protocatechuic acid and vanillin.
With the technology edging closer to market, Sustainable Extricko is now seeking investment to build its first recycling unit, with construction expected to begin within the next year. The team is also assessing the potential for containerised systems that could be deployed directly at manufacturing or decommissioning sites, reducing transport emissions and costs.
Kirsty Neilson, programme manager at IBioIC, said the start-up exemplifies the ambition the Launchpad aims to support: “The team has taken a challenge they encountered in the marine sector and identified the potential to apply their technology across much wider industries, including wind energy and advanced manufacturing.”
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