Recycling Process Research Articles

Assessment of the Applicability of Waste Concrete Fine Powder as a Raw Material for Cement Clinker

The cement industry is responsible for a significant portion of global CO2 emissions, primarily due to the decarbonatization of limestone during clinker production. To mitigate this environmental impact, this study investigated the feasibility of using waste concrete fine powder, produced during the recycling of waste concrete, as a decarbonized raw material in cement clinker production. As a decarbonized material, waste concrete fine powder presents a valuable opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions typically produced during the decarbonatization of limestone in clinker production. In addition, its use supports the recycling of construction waste, contributing to both emissions reduction and resource sustainability. In this study, samples were collected from 20 intermediate treatment plants in South Korea, where the chemical composition, particle size distribution, and carbonation rate of the fine powders were analyzed. The experimental results show that the properties of waste concrete fine powder vary significantly depending on the recycling process. Road construction aggregate production plants, which typically involve two to three crushing stages, produce fine powders with higher CaO content (28–31%) and consistent particle size distributions. In contrast, plants producing aggregates for concrete, which involve four to six crushing stages, produce powders with lower CaO content (around 20%) and greater variability in particle size. The average carbonation rate of 7.44% suggests that these fine powders can replace limestone in clinker production. It is estimated that substituting 5% of limestone with waste concrete fine powder could reduce CO2 emissions from limestone decarbonatization by approximately 952,560 tons in 2023, representing a 3.34% decrease in total emissions from clinker production. However, it is important to note that the CO2 emissions reduction calculation is not from a lifecycle perspective, without considering the energy-related emissions from recycling waste concrete fine powder. Nevertheless, this study highlights the potential for waste concrete fine powder to serve as a sustainable raw material for the cement industry, contributing to both CO2 reduction and efficient recycling of construction waste.

Direct Recycling of Cathode Materials from Spent Lithium-ion Batteries: Principles, Strategies, and Perspectives.

In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have become an important part of the global transition to green and low-carbon energy. However, due to the rapidly increasing demand and production of lithium-ion batteries, there is a large amount of spent batteries that need to be disposed of. The most critical and valuable recycling of spent batteries is the recycling of cathode materials. Pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are traditional recycling processes aimed at extracting valuable metal elements from cathode materials. However, these methods have several disadvantages, including destruction of the structure of cathode materials, lengthy repair processes, high energy consumption and high environmental pollution. The direct recycling process is a popular repair technology for cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries. The aim is to restore or upgrade the cathode materials in a non-destructive manner or convert them into other functional products for secondary use, characterized by a short repair process, high atom utilization, lower costs and lower carbon emissions. This perspective summarizes the current status of lithium-ion battery recycling, with a focus on direct recycling of cathode materials. It describes the pretreatment process, theoretical foundations, direct regeneration strategies and perspectives and provides insights for relevant researchers.

AI-based plastic waste sorting method utilizing object detection models for enhanced classification.

The export ban on plastic waste by China has brought domestic plastic recycling to the forefront of environmental concerns, with sorting being a crucial step in the recycling process. This study assessed the performance of advanced AI models, Mask R-CNN, and YOLO v8, in enhancing plastic waste sorting. The models were evaluated in terms of accuracy, mean average precision (mAP), precision, recall, F1 score, and inference time, with hyperparameter tuning performed through grid search. Mask R-CNN, with an accuracy of 0.912 and mAP of 0.911, outperformed YOLO v8 in tasks requiring detailed segmentation, despite a longer inference time of 200-350ms. Conversely, YOLO v8, with an accuracy of 0.867 and mAP of 0.922, excelled in real-time applications owing to its shorter inference time of 80-160ms. This study underscores the importance of selecting the appropriate model based on specific application requirements.

The fate of solid-phase transfer in subduction zones: Evidence from Ti-oxides in Luobusa ophiolitic chromitite

The transport of hydrous components from a subducting oceanic plate to the supra-subduction lithospheric mantle and their influence on arc magmas is well-documented. Yet the transfer of solid-phase materials remains enigmatic, despite an increasing body of literature regarding inherited rutile in well-characterized arc magmas and ophiolitic chromitites. The mechanism governing the introduction of solid phases into the overlying mantle wedge as well as the duration of their residence are poorly understood. This study investigates mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of rutile inclusions in the Luobusa chromitite of southern Tibet.In the investigated chromitite, rutile, associated with ilmenite, corundum, ulvöspinel, zircon, and melt silicate inclusions, exhibits geochemical characteristics indicative of derivation from crustal mafic rocks. Estimated formation or recrystallization temperatures of rutile range from 570 to 675 °C at approximately 1.2 GPa. These temperature estimates illustrate the challenges of obtaining accurate dating, as the rutile UPb system resets near 600 °C. The Fe/Zr ratios in Luobusa rutile serve as indicators of H2O/Zr ratios, suggesting a significant role for hydrous components in the behavior of high field strength elements (HFSE) during subduction processes.A fluid-assisted transport mechanism likely facilitated the movement of HFSE, such as Ti, V, Zr, Nb, and Ta, within accessory mineral phases into the supra-subduction mantle wedge. The presence of rutile and polymorphs of TiO₂, including Ti0.82Si0.18O2 and TiO2-II, within chromite crystals underscores the extensive recycling and recrystallization processes occurring under diverse mantle conditions during the genesis and evolution of the Luobusa ophiolites.

Ubiquitin-mediated recruitment of the ATG9A-ATG2 lipid transfer complex drives clearance of phosphorylated p62 aggregates.

Autophagy is an essential cellular recycling process that maintains protein and organelle homeostasis. ATG9A vesicle recruitment is a critical early step in autophagy to initiate autophagosome biogenesis. The mechanisms of ATG9A vesicle recruitment are best understood in the context of starvation-induced nonselective autophagy, whereas less is known about the signals driving ATG9A vesicle recruitment to autophagy initiation sites in the absence of nutrient stress. Here we demonstrate that loss of ATG9A, or the lipid transfer protein ATG2, leads to the accumulation of phosphorylated p62 aggregates in nutrient replete conditions. Furthermore, we show that p62 degradation requires the lipid scramblase activity of ATG9A. Last, we present evidence that polyubiquitin is an essential signal that recruits ATG9A and mediates autophagy foci assembly in nutrient replete cells. Together, our data support a ubiquitin-driven model of ATG9A recruitment and autophagosome formation during basal autophagy.

Optimizing the Supply Chain for Recycling Electric Vehicle NMC Batteries

The rapid growth of electric vehicle production has led to increased waste batteries that can no longer be used. This increase causes environmental and economic challenges. Lithium-ion battery waste harms the environment as it contains toxic and flammable chemicals. New raw materials need to be procured economically due to the need for more infrastructure and a circular economy. Therefore, the solution to overcome the impact of the accumulation of lithium battery waste is to recycle the battery. Recycling end-of-life batteries is necessary to mitigate material supply risks, reduce demand for new materials, and mitigate harmful environmental and health impacts. This study aims to provide a conceptual model for the supply chain network design of electric vehicles' Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) battery recycling process. We developed a mathematical model to determine the allocation of multi-product recycling products from multi-suppliers and other related entities such as manufacturers and landfills over multiple periods. The analysis method utilizes techno-economic investment feasibility analysis and load distance method. The problem in the recycling process supply chain network is formulated in a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model. The MILP optimization results show that the proposed model produces a globally optimal solution for allocating NMC batteries. The application of this study is to provide a solution to the treatment of waste batteries from electric vehicle end-users in Java Island, Indonesia. In addition, it can develop economic opportunities in the waste battery recycling business in the electric vehicle industry. It is building a contribution to a sustainable electric vehicle battery management system by reducing the dependence on demand for new materials from mining and analyzing the sustainability of the NMC electric vehicle battery recycling process.

Demonstration of a Chemical Recycling Concept for Polybutylene Succinate containing Waste Substrates via Coupled Enzymatic/Electrochemical Processes.

Chemical recycling of polymer waste is a promising strategy to reduce the dependency of chemical industry on fossil resources and reduce the increasing quantities of plastic waste. A common challenge in chemical recycling processes is the costly downstream separation of reaction products. For polybutylene succinate (PBS) no effective recycling concept has been implemented so far. In this work we demonstrate a promising recycling concept for PBS, avoiding costly purification steps. We developed a sequential process, coupling enzymatic hydrolysis of PBS with an electrochemical reaction step. The enzymatic step efficiently hydrolyses PBS in its monomers, succinic acid and 1,4-butandiol. The electrochemical step converts succinic acid into ethene as final product. Ethene is easily separated from the reaction solution as gaseous product, together with hydrogen as secondary product, while 1,4-butandiol remains in the aqueous solution. Both reaction steps operate in aqueous solvent and benign reaction conditions. Furthermore, the influence of electrolyte components on the electrochemical step was unraveled by applying molecular dynamic simulations. The final coupled process achieves a total ethene productivity of 91 µmol/cm2 over a duration of 8 hours, with 1110 µmol/cm2 hydrogen and 77% regained 1,4-butandiol as valuable secondary products.

Future Prospects of Biodegradable Natural Fiber Composites: Innovations and Enhanced Performance in Roofing and Packaging Applications

This paper explores advancements in sustainable composite materials, focusing on biodegradable fibers, recycling innovations, and enhanced performance for packaging and roofing applications. With growing environmental concerns industries are shifting toward materials that reduce ecological footprints without compromising performance. Biodegradable fibers derived from natural sources such as hemp, jute, and flax have gained attention for their potential to replace synthetic fibers in composite manufacturing. These natural fibers offer environmental benefits including reduced carbon emissions, energy savings, and easier disposal. However, challenges remain in optimizing their mechanical properties to match conventional materials. Recycling innovations also play a critical role in achieving sustainability goals in composite manufacturing. Recent advancements in chemical and mechanical recycling processes allow the reuse of composite waste, reducing landfill dependency and resource depletion. Enhanced recycling methods improve material recovery and retain quality extending product life cycles. This research examines how these processes can be effectively applied in packaging and roofing, two sectors with high material demand and waste output. The study assesses the performance of sustainable composites in terms of durability, thermal stability, and resistance to environmental factors, critical for both packaging and roofing. Through a combination of experimental testing and case studies, this thesis demonstrates that sustainable composites can offer viable alternatives to traditional materials supporting a transition to greener construction and packaging solutions. This paper contributes valuable insights into the practical applications of biodegradable and recyclable composites paving the way for more sustainable material choices in industrial sectors

Polycotton waste textile recycling by sequential hydrolysis and glycolysis

As a result of the current high throughput of the fast fashion collections and the concomitant decrease in product lifetime, we are facing enormous amounts of textile waste. Since textiles are often a blend of multiple fibers (predominantly cotton and polyester) and contain various different components, proper waste management and recycling are challenging. Here, we describe a high-yield process for the sequential chemical recycling of cotton and polyester from mixed waste textiles. The utilization of 43 wt% hydrochloric acid for the acid hydrolysis of polycotton (44/56 cotton/polyester, room temperature, 24 h) results in a 75% molar glucose yield from the cotton fraction, whereafter the hydrolysate solution is easily separated from the solid polyester residue. The reaction is scalable, as similar results are obtained for experiments performed at 1 mL, 0.1, and 1.0 L and even in a 230 L pilot plant reactor, where mixed postconsumer polycotton waste textile is successfully recycled. The residual polyester is successfully converted via glycolysis to bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate in 78% isolated yield (>98% purity).

Efficient Recycling Processes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are an indispensable power source for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and renewable energy storage systems due to their high energy density and long cycle life. However, the exponential growth in production and usage has necessitated highly effective recycling of end-of-life LIBs to recover valuable resources and minimize the environmental impact. Pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes are the most common recycling methods but pose considerable difficulties. The energy-intensive pyrometallurgical recycling process results in the loss of critical materials such as lithium and suffers from substantial emissions and high costs. Solvent extraction, a hydrometallurgical method, offers energy-efficient recovery for lithium, cobalt, and nickel but requires hazardous chemicals and careful waste management. Direct recycling is an alternative to traditional methods as it preserves the cathode active material (CAM) structure for quicker and cheaper regeneration. It also offers environmental advantages of lower energy intensity and chemical use. Hybrid pathways, combining hydrometallurgical and direct recycling methods, provide a cost-effective, scalable solution for LIB recycling, maximizing material recovery with minimal waste and environmental risk. The success of recycling methods depends on factors such as battery chemistry, the scalability of recovery processes, and the cost-effectiveness of waste material recovery. Though pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes have secured their position in LIB recycling, research is proceeding toward newer approaches, such as direct and hybrid methods. These alternatives are more efficient both environmentally and in terms of cost with a broader perspective into the future. In this review, we describe the current state of direct recycling as an alternative to traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods for recuperating these critical materials, particularly lithium. We also highlight some significant advancements that make these objectives possible. As research progresses, direct recycling and its variations hold great potential to reshape the way LIBs are recycled, providing a sustainable pathway for battery material recovery and reuse.

Circular Economy for Construction and Demolition Waste in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of Chile: A Delphi Analysis

This study investigates the design and implementation of circular economy (CE) strategies for managing construction and demolition waste (CDW) in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of Chile (SMRC). The research aimed to identify key factors influencing the current and future adoption of CE practices for CDW management related to socio-environmental, technical, financial, and strategic-regulatory aspects, employing the Delphi method to gather expert insights. Findings reveal that the lack of knowledge about sustainable practices and the absence of regulatory frameworks for CDW disposal are the most critical barriers to effective CE implementation. The study recommends enhancing public awareness and environmental education through government and school programs, as well as enacting stricter legislation to combat illegal disposal and encourage sustainable practices and valorization of secondary raw materials within companies. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of designing projects that prioritize waste avoidance and the development of infrastructure, technology, and processes for efficient material separation and recycling. The research also highlights potential challenges such as stagnation in the adoption of sustainable practices, skilled labor shortages, and limited research and innovation. It underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to CDW management that integrates socio-environmental, technical, financial, and regulatory dimensions to promote sustainability at both regional and global levels.

Solventless Dual-Cure Liquid Resins Via Circular Use of Phthalic Anhydride for Recyclable Composite Applications.

Fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) possess a remarkable strength-to-weight ratio, making them ideal light-weighing alternative materials of metals used in automotive, aerospace, and outdoor equipment applications, but their recycling is challenging. Chemically recyclable thermoset polymers can enable fiber recovery and reuse; however, challenges remain in the separation and purification of depolymerized small molecules for efficient polymer recycling. To this end, a series of liquid resins for chemically recyclable polymer networks is designed based on phthalic anhydride, a widely produced and inexpensive chemical. The straightforward sublimation of phthalic anhydride is leveraged to enable a simple and efficient separation process for polymer recycling. To liquefy phthalic anhydride, five mono-acryloyl-phthalates are synthesized to obtain stable liquid resins together with phthalic diglycidyl ester. These liquid resins undergo dual-cure reactions that comprise photopolymerization of acrylate and, subsequently, heat-mediated epoxy-acid polymerization reactions. These liquid resins exhibit moderate viscosities (2600-6400 cP @ 22 °C), fast curing, and robust thermomechanical properties (Tgs from 71 to 116 °C). It is demonstrated that hydrolysis of the dual-cured polymers completes within 2 h at 80 °C, and direct sublimation produces phthalic anhydride with 82% yield. This resin system is expected to provide a cost-competitive, highly efficient platform for recyclable FRCs.

Recycling Bitumen for Composite Material Production: Potential Applications in the Construction Sector

During roof renovations, large quantities of waste BBRM (bitumen-based roofing materials) are generated, and the possibilities for recycling these materials have so far been very limited. In general, they can be crushed and mixed with asphalt to pave roads or can be burned for energy. While waste plastic materials are often recycled, the remelting process significantly degrades their durability and mechanical properties. Unlike conventional methods, our recycling process results in a material with properties that are in many ways superior to the original materials. It is durable, weather resistant, and has exceptionally high mechanical strength. This material can be used to produce various construction components, including replacing quickly degradable wooden parts in structures. The composite material demonstrates increased flexibility, enhanced tensile strength, and improved resistance to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and environmental degradation compared to standard bitumen. The process is simple and can be carried out directly at the renovation site using a portable device.

Chemical Recycling of Bio-Based Epoxy Matrices Based on Precursors Derived from Waste Flour: Recycled Polymers Characterization

This study aims to investigate the chemical recycling of two different fully recyclable bio-based epoxy matrices based on epoxidized precursors derived from waste flour. The key for their recyclability relies on the use of a cleavable hardener. In fact, the latter contains a ketal group in its chemical structure, which is cleavable in mild acetic conditions, so allowing for the breakage of the cured network. The recyclability was successfully assessed for both the two investigated formulations, with a recycling process yield ranging from 80 up to 85%. The recycled polymers presented a Tg up to 69.0 ± 0.4 °C, determined by mean of DMA and DSC analysis. Next, the TGA revealed that the thermal decomposition of the specimens primarily occurred around 320 °C and attributed to the breaking of C–O and C–N bonds in cross-linked networks. In the end, the chemical characterizations were carried out by mean of Py-GC/MS, MALDI-TOF-MS and FT-IR ATR. In fact, these analyses allowed for investigating how the recycled polymer’s structure changed, starting from the initial epoxy systems. These insights on their chemical structure could further allow for identifying re-use strategies in accordance with a circular economy approach.

Enhancing waste classification accuracy with Channel and Spatial Attention-Based Multiblock Convolutional Network.

Municipal waste classification is significant for effective recycling and waste management processes that involve the classification of diverse municipal waste materials such as paper, glass, plastic, and organic matter using diverse techniques. Yet, this municipal waste classification process faces several challenges, such as high computational complexity, more time consumption, and high variability in the appearance of waste caused by variations in color, type, and degradation level, which makes an inaccurate waste classification process. To overcome these challenges, this research proposes a novel Channel and Spatial Attention-Based Multiblock Convolutional Network for accurately classifying municipal waste that utilizes a unique attention mechanism for enhancing feature learning and waste classification accuracy. In this research, the data augmentation technique is utilized to improve the size and diversity of the images, which creates a new municipal waste image from the existing image. After the augmentation process, the data preprocessing is performed through normalization, resizing, and dividing the images into smaller patches. In the feature extraction phase, each image patch's detailed representation is created by integrating and extracting the image's relevant features from the embedding space. Finally, the proposed Channel and Spatial Attention-Based Multiblock Convolutional Network predicts the types of municipal waste that are represented in each image patch by classifying the input images into diverse kinds of waste categories. The experimental validation exposed that the proposed Channel and Spatial Attention-Based Multiblock Convolutional Network effectively classifies the municipal waste images and achieves a higher accuracy of 98.73%, lower mean absolute error of 0.048, and lower root mean square error of 0.087 when compared to existing municipal waste classification strategies. These results prove that the proposed Channel and Spatial Attention-Based Multiblock Convolutional Network framework is more accurate, reliable, and well-suited to real-time municipal waste classification.

Upgrading of Waste Tyre Pyrolysis Oil for Obtaining Valuable Products

Pyrolysis (thermal anaerobic decomposition) of waste tyres is a sustainable recycling process. Its result is an unstable liquid product – pyrolysis oil – must be improved for economic usage. A complex microreactor system was developed for upgrading/valorizing waste tyre pyrolysis oil. Following cleaning steps (distillation, resin removal, chemical preparation reactor) pyrolysis oil was hydrogenated/hydrodesulfurized in the main reactor over NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts. Cheap self-made low active metal containing catalysts presented comparable activities with an industrial (Haldor Topsoe) catalyst in a 100 mL flow reactor at 300 °C temperature and 25–35 bar pressure. The process was optimized by changing the pressure, the liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) and the hydrogen flow rate. The upgrading of the process for a 1000 mL volume flow system is in progress.

Unraveling Redox Mediator-Assisted Chemical Relithiation Mechanism for Direct Recycling of Spent Ni-Rich Layered Cathode Materials.

The increasing demand for Li-ion batteries across various energy storage applications underscores the urgent need for environmentally friendly and efficient direct recycling strategies to address the issue of substantial cathode waste. Diverse reducing agents for Li supplements, such as quinone molecules, have been considered to homogenize the Li distribution in the cathode materials obtained after cycling; however, the detailed reaction mechanism is still unknown. Herein, the ideal electrochemical potential factor and reaction mechanism of the redox mediator 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (DTBQ) for the chemical relithiation of high-Ni-layered cathodes are elucidated. Here, 100% efficiency of DTBQ-assisted chemical relithiation is achieved by adjusting the direct immersion time of Li-deficient cathode electrodes. The reversible reaction features of the physical and chemical structures of both the regenerated cathodes and the DTBQ molecules are investigated using advanced characterization and density functional theory calculations. These findings emphasize the potential of redox-mediator-assisted chemical relithiation for realizing direct recycling processes and offer a facile and sustainable solution for battery recycling.

Achieving High Solid–Liquid Ratio through Competitive Coordination towards Efficient Recovery of Metals from Spent Batteries

AbstractThe recycling of critical metals from spent lithium‐ion batteries represents a significant step towards meeting the enhancing resource requirements in the new energy industry. Nevertheless, achieving effective leaching of metals from the stable metal‐oxygen (MO6) structure of spent ternary cathodes and separation of metal products simultaneously still remained a huge challenge towards industrial applications. Herein, a competitive coordination strategy was proposed to design a novel deep eutectic solvent (DESs), which improved both leaching and selective metal recycling capacity even at high solid–liquid ratio (1 : 10). The results demonstrated that the number of hydrogen bonds in designed ternary DESs was 16.5 % higher compared to those in the binary DESs, resulting in efficient reaction kinetics to break the metals‐oxygen bond. More importantly, the competing‐ligand (p‐toluenesulfonic acid) could preferentially enter into the first nanostructure sheath and reduce the proportion of solvated oxalic acid (OxA) from 28.36 % to 17.76 % within the nanostructure, which enable OxA molecules to enhance the coordination interaction with metal for precipitating NiC2O4 ⋅ 2H2O product (~95.7 % purity) from spent cathodes. This work achieved impressive profitability ($16.05 per kg feedstock) and effectively reduction of GHG emissions during the recycling process, making it applicable to critical sustainability initiatives.

Lithium recovery from mixed spent LFP-NMC batteries through atmospheric water leaching

Selective lithium recovery from a mixture of LFP-NMC spent lithium batteries presents significant challenges due to differing structures and elemental compositions of the batteries. These differences necessitate a distinct recycling pathway for each, complicating the process for the mixture. This study explored a carbothermal reduction approach combined with water leaching under atmospheric conditions to achieve a selective lithium recovery. For individual NMC black mass, at the optimal carbothermal conditions (950 °C, 15 °C/min, 2 h), lithium recovery of 95.7 ± 0.31% with 100% selectivity could be achieved. However, when the black mass was mixed with that of LFP in a 50:50 ratio, the recovery dropped to 9.78 ± 0.44%. Solid-state reactions during carbothermal process resulted in the formation of highly insoluble Li3PO4, and Fe-Ni-Co/Ni-Co alloys, which hinder lithium dissolution. To address these challenges, Na2CO3 was introduced as an additive to suppress Li3PO4. The addition of Na2CO3 to the 50:50 ratio of LFP-NMC black mass, increased lithium recovery to 59.47% with 100% selectivity. This enhancement was due to the stabilization of lithium as Li2CO3, a water-soluble compound. The results demonstrated that addition of Na2CO3 is a promising strategy for improving lithium recovery from mixed LFP-NMC batteries, providing a potential pathway for a more efficient recycling process.

Treatment and Valorization of Waste Wind Turbines: Component Identification and Analysis.

Recycling end-of-life wind turbines poses a significant challenge due to the increasing number of turbines going out of use. After many years of operation, turbines lose their functional properties, generating a substantial amount of composite waste that requires efficient and environmentally friendly processing methods. Wind turbine blades, in particular, are a problematic component in the recycling process due to their complex material composition. They are primarily made of composites containing glass and carbon fibers embedded in polymer matrices such as epoxies and polyester resins. This study presents an innovative approach to analyzing and valorizing these composite wastes. The research methodology incorporates integrated processing and analysis techniques, including mechanical waste treatment using a novel compression milling process, instead of traditional knife mills, which reduces wear on the milling tools. Based on the differences in the structure and colors of the materials, 15 different kinds of samples named WT1-WT15 were distinguished from crushed wind turbines, enabling a detailed analysis of their physicochemical properties and the identification of the constituent components. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified key functional groups, confirming the presence of thermoplastic polymers (PET, PE, and PP), epoxy and polyester resins, wood, and fillers such as glass fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) provided insights into thermal stability, degradation behavior, and the heterogeneity of the samples, indicating a mix of organic and inorganic constituents. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) further characterized phase transitions in polymers, revealing variations in thermal properties among samples. The fractionation process was carried out using both wet and dry methods, allowing for a more effective separation of components. Based on the wet separation process, three fractions-GF1, GF2, and GF3-along with other components were obtained. For instance, in the case of the GF1 < 40 µm fraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the residual mass is as high as 89.7%, indicating a predominance of glass fibers. This result highlights the effectiveness of the proposed methods in facilitating the efficient recovery of high-value materials.