All Members

As part of my interest in maintaining my comprehension of German, I subscribe to a website run by the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. I came across this video concerning the recycling of wind turbines in Europe. You can copy and paste the manuscript into Google Translate for a reasonable English translation. It seems to me that recycling of wind turbines will be a matter for Australia to cope with in only a few years, given that the effective service life is short. It would also seem to me that recycling has environmental, material science and industrial chemistry aspects which will need to be addressed, and the RACI as an organisation and at the divisional levels should consider how to respond to these challenges.

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Tom Smith
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Hi Tom,

Great to see such forward-thinking, which has been prompted by activity already underway overseas, and I too would be interested to know if anyone within the RACI might have insights on how Australia will be facing these impending challenges.

Similarly, the recycling of soft plastics has fallen over in a heap-further compounded by the recent announcement that Qenos has entered voluntary administration-sustainability in the technologies underpinning renewable power generation are certainly part of wide-reaching discussion of importance to all RACI members.

Dan

As part of my interest in maintaining my comprehension of German, I subscribe to a website run by the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. I came across this video concerning the recycling of wind turbines in Europe. You can copy and paste the manuscript into Google Translate for a reasonable English translation. It seems to me that recycling of wind turbines will be a matter for Australia to cope with in only a few years, given that the effective service life is short. It would also seem to me that recycling has environmental, material science and industrial chemistry aspects which will need to be addressed, and the RACI as an organisation and at the divisional levels should consider how to respond to these challenges.

Unfortunately, you would have to think that the shutting of Qenos would have been a no-brainer for its Chinese owners - economies of scale, access to reasonably priced gas feedstocks much lower labour costs and possibly more modern technology in China were very likely not insignificant factors in the decision making process. 

As to recycling of old wind turbines, the take out for me from the DW video was that the major manufacturers of these beasts are now turning their minds to putting recyclability front and centre in the design and manufacturing processes. I wonder to what technology generation the current wind turbines in Australia belong? Will we burn the plastic bits in cement kilns as in Germany, make expensive garden seats or litter the landscape further with sculptures made with turbine blades? 

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Tom Smith

Original Message:
Sent: 01-05-2024 12:41
From: Daniel Turner
Subject: Do members and/or divisions of the RACI have an interest in the recycling of old wind turbines?

Hi Tom,

Great to see such forward-thinking, which has been prompted by activity already underway overseas, and I too would be interested to know if anyone within the RACI might have insights on how Australia will be facing these impending challenges.

Similarly, the recycling of soft plastics has fallen over in a heap-further compounded by the recent announcement that Qenos has entered voluntary administration-sustainability in the technologies underpinning renewable power generation are certainly part of wide-reaching discussion of importance to all RACI members.

Dan

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Daniel Turner
Principal STEM Recruiter

Original Message:
Sent: 05-04-2024 11:18
From: Tom Smith
Subject: Do members and/or divisions of the RACI have an interest in the recycling of old wind turbines?

As part of my interest in maintaining my comprehension of German, I subscribe to a website run by the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. I came across this video concerning the recycling of wind turbines in Europe. You can copy and paste the manuscript into Google Translate for a reasonable English translation. It seems to me that recycling of wind turbines will be a matter for Australia to cope with in only a few years, given that the effective service life is short. It would also seem to me that recycling has environmental, material science and industrial chemistry aspects which will need to be addressed, and the RACI as an organisation and at the divisional levels should consider how to respond to these challenges.

------------------------------
Tom Smith
------------------------------

Hi Tom,

Great to see such forward-thinking, which has been prompted by activity already underway overseas, and I too would be interested to know if anyone within the RACI might have insights on how Australia will be facing these impending challenges.

Similarly, the recycling of soft plastics has fallen over in a heap-further compounded by the recent announcement that Qenos has entered voluntary administration-sustainability in the technologies underpinning renewable power generation are certainly part of wide-reaching discussion of importance to all RACI members.

Dan

Original Message:
Sent: 05-04-2024 11:18
From: Tom Smith
Subject: Do members and/or divisions of the RACI have an interest in the recycling of old wind turbines?

As part of my interest in maintaining my comprehension of German, I subscribe to a website run by the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. I came across this video concerning the recycling of wind turbines in Europe. You can copy and paste the manuscript into Google Translate for a reasonable English translation. It seems to me that recycling of wind turbines will be a matter for Australia to cope with in only a few years, given that the effective service life is short. It would also seem to me that recycling has environmental, material science and industrial chemistry aspects which will need to be addressed, and the RACI as an organisation and at the divisional levels should consider how to respond to these challenges.

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Tom Smith
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