#117 Interview with Gees Recycling on JEC World 2024: Composites Recycling featuring outstanding surfaces
05.04.2024 14 min Staffel 5 Episode 74
Zusammenfassung & Show Notes
How to recycle 5,000 tons of wind blades in just one plant.
During JEC World 2024 I came across a very promising project funded by the European Commission that I'd like to bring to your attention. Read more about the project here:
https://www.pladostelma.com/en/life-green-composite/
One of our society's huge problems in the future will be the aging of windturbine blades. Each of these blades contain usually 8 metric tons of fibreglass. Add the resin then you see the scale of problem that we will be facing or are already facing.
In this episode I interviewed Giorgio Betteto of Gees Recycling. We start of by inspecting some samples he brought along of recycled composites that feature very solid surfaces. These are hard as ceramic and therefore not only water repellant, but also such impact proof that the can be used as floor tiles.
Watch our LinkedIn video here: https://www.pladostelma.com/en/life-green-composite/
During JEC World 2024 I came across a very promising project funded by the European Commission that I'd like to bring to your attention. Read more about the project here:
https://www.pladostelma.com/en/life-green-composite/
One of our society's huge problems in the future will be the aging of windturbine blades. Each of these blades contain usually 8 metric tons of fibreglass. Add the resin then you see the scale of problem that we will be facing or are already facing.
In this episode I interviewed Giorgio Betteto of Gees Recycling. We start of by inspecting some samples he brought along of recycled composites that feature very solid surfaces. These are hard as ceramic and therefore not only water repellant, but also such impact proof that the can be used as floor tiles.
Watch our LinkedIn video here: https://www.pladostelma.com/en/life-green-composite/
Transkript
Good afternoon, the LinkedIn community
and composites launch members.
We are at day two and continue strong
covering this show together.
With me now is an expert
in the recycling field
and as you know, one of my passions
is recycling sustainability.
Of course, we want to always get
the recycle and sustainability feature
with innovation and technology.
And that's why Giorgio GS recycling
is with me. Giorgio is from Italy,
so we had Italy yesterday
and we will continue
with Italy also later.
Thanks for being part of my show.
-Very thankful for the big good things.
I'm proud to be here
in the Composite Lounge
and I think
that is something really interesting.
Any opportunities in talking about compost
and recycling is positive.
So Giorgio, now you are at the Jack.
So what is your impression
on this Jack show so far?
What you have seen
because you just arrived.
-Vibration is very good,
is full of people.
Let we see then what interesting thing
about the jack and normally delivers.
So uh, I used to say that for
uh, composite people, going to Jack
is like going to makeup or the Moslem.
So it's something that one needs to do.
I see that a lot of, uh, interest
and also several proposals for the,
for the recycling and those is always good
also because we need any kind
of technology
for making this sector sustainable.
-So now we are middle in the in the topic.
I had Giorgio already
in the warm up lives,
but now I took the opportunity
and asked Giorgio to bring samples along
and we would like to run
through three samples with you
so you can see
what can be done with recycled materials.
And the great stuff is it is such a robust
and very practical to use materials.
It's very difficult
for you guys to assess this,
but I had it already in my hands.
So I can tell you please contact Giorgio
and I don't know, can you send samples
also to your customers?
Sure. And ask for samples and get them.
Get the feel of the samples.
It's really wonderful material.
And we will start with sample number one.
A life agreeing a composite project
is a research project
funded by the European Union
where, uh, blood was Palma
and, uh, it's a kitchen sink,
uh, composite kitchen key maker.
And this recycling
we have developed together a way
to recycle the high density composites
and solid surface.
Uh, we have obtained the product
and material
that has very good performance is lighter.
Respect that the solid should face
is, uh, recycled content.
It's a recycled content is only the 90.
Let me say the 96%.
It's used. It's done with our proprietary
patented technology
or mechanical recycling.
The performance are on the par
with other materials
like ceramics
or solid surface or natural stone,
with a big advantage on the environment,
on the cost,
on the light material,
the lightness of material.
This material is a lie
is 1.1 density lighter.
Respect the much lighter.
Respect the stone.
Uh, half a respect.
Ceramics. The application may be
everything is needed that you have, uh,
a solid material
that could be possible to mill to,
to, to, uh,
to obtain surfaces, uh, forms and so on.
Absolutely resistant to water,
to water and liquid,
very strong, uh, flame retardant.
And we are seeing already
interesting application
for uh, flooring for kitchen tops.
And in particular,
we think that may have
a very big role in naval industry
since we it's possible
to go in substitution
of virgin material with, uh,
obtaining a good performance
and lower costs. So Giorgio.
-I have now the second piece in my hand.
And this second piece
is also very compact, very strong.
But when we go into kitchens
in architecture,
there may be,
you know, the I is buying also a product.
We say in Germany when we have a.
Product like this that goes
into architecture
and decor and things like that.
Are there any other colors available?
Because these composites
have always the same color range.
So how do you satisfy colonials,
for example?
-I know very well this, uh, aspect
and this for this, we have developed,
uh, an additional technology
where we put on the top
of the recycle material,
we put a coating
a surface of recycled PMMa
and recycled
quartz that is possible to have
in any kind
of color as a traditional solid surface.
We have a good, very good performance.
And, uh, it's fairly recycled.
Uh, and it's possible to have the,
the surface of, of which we in this paper,
in this case we have a salt
and pepper very fine aspect,
but could be totally white,
could be, uh, on a color
on, on a real, uh, palette.
This is the performance.
Are those of the recycled
the, uh, PMMa
and the same of the Virgin material.
Still, we have a recycled material
with, uh, a flexible
application, good performance
and interesting costs.
And that's a great feature.
And requested feature is,
of course, water resistance.
Now, there are, of course,
sometimes water repellent
features, water resistant.
And there are so many things. And I'm glad
that Giorgio
can hopefully explain us to us,
because what we have here,
this is the number three
is a fisherman's flex.
And what's it about?
Giorgio, can you explain to us.
One of the really interesting things
of the composites
are the they
intrinsic resistance to the water.
Here we have a project,
a product obtained from two
the the works of two different projects,
the Project Life Green Composite
and Project Mars,
from where we have, uh,
coated a recycled composite panel.
We have coated
with a mix of fishermen
nets and marine litter.
You see in the green,
the green color with the recycled PMMa.
This was done to obtain to be able
to obtain the panels
for a wall coverings or ventilated facades
that, uh, have
a very peculiar particular appearance,
where each panel will be different,
slightly one from the other,
and it will be was conceived
to show what is inside the sea
and what we need to take
away and and the reuse.
In this case, we have already recovered
and recycled
only the kind of fisherman nets,
so that can't be recycled in
with other technology
because are made with mixed polymer,
polyamide, polypropylene,
polyester and so on. And for our process,
it's something that is feasible.
And the results I can say
that are quite interesting.
So dear community, as you see,
we have now switched places.
And that's the beautiful thing
about the world here.
So many corners,
so many nice beauties here.
As you know, I have interviewed
already Roberto Rossini, a professor.
Shout out to you.
At this moment I know that you are moving
between us and this move, this booth,
and you have a lot of stage presence.
So now we are with UCR,
the European Composites Association
that is the headed
by Professor Roberto Rossini
is the chairman.
And we got a managing director, Rafael,
but he's also on the road right now.
So shout out to Rafael that and thank you
that we are using your booth for this,
because there is a link now
between GS recycling the products
that we showed you before
and the European Commission,
because the European Commission
decided to support and fund a project.
And I would like to ask Giorgio to tell us
about the the project aims
and the purpose and what is it for.
And now, listen, it's for the wind blades.
One of the biggest challenges
of our society.
-Refresh project is a European
found that the large scale recycling
or wind blade project.
We are partner in this project also
with the EU, Sia
and several other partners
and the project
will transform the scrap.
The wind will use that wind blade
to transform them
in different kind of products,
using our our mechanical recycling
technology and other technologies
like raising,
record raising and fiber recovery
to finalize this and so on.
It's a broad project
that will lead to recover 5000 tons
a year of wind blades
only in our plant
and plus many other other
in in different
with different technologies
and the aims
to transform a problem in aerosols
and to make also a demonstration
on industrial scale
or what is possible
to obtain from such a large composite
waste like wind blades.
The same thing will this?
The results may be applied
to many other large
dimensional composite waste,
like coming from yachting,
from, uh, and from cranes and so on.
So I think
that it's really a good opportunity
for all the partners,
for the UCI
and mostly for the composite world.
So thank you, Giorgio,
for all this information.
Very, very important.
Recycling, ladies and gentlemen,
is so much important.
As Elon Banks this morning
said from composites UK,
one of their focus is sustainability,
sustainability, sustainability.
And this is the same here.
We are all working as an industry
on sustainable solutions.
And Giorgio, I think
you have such a great solution there.
I wish you all the success
and thank you once again
for filling us in with this and community.
Please, please, please contact Giorgio
because it's I touched it.
I'm really fascinated by this.
Thanks. Many thanks.
It was a really a good thing.
Let me say that composites are already
a very sustainable solution
because composites are last longer.
Save weight, have a better performance.
I said before,
if we take away the composite
from our life,
we go back directly to 1950s.
Yeah. And the sustainability part is
something is an important part
and is something
that could be done working, not talking.
Thanks to all and thanks again.
Thank you.
Oh.