Chemical recycling and life cycle assessment of next-generation thermoplastic composites for wind turbine blade manufacture

This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience, a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake six-month of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at Loughborough University. A major sustainability challenge in the wind energy sector lies in managing the end-of-life of turbine blades.

Traditional thermoset composites are difficult to recycle, often ending up in landfill or undergoing energy-intensive disposal processes. This doctoral studentship – jointly supported by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience and Metol – will advance circular solutions for the next generation of turbine materials. Metol have recently developed a new low-viscosity thermoplastic resin system designed for large-scale blade manufacture.

This project will explore chemical recycling of these materials through solvolysis, aiming to establish an efficient recovery route and quantify its environmental benefits. The student will characterise recovered polymer and fibre fractions using advanced analytical techniques and re-manufacture them into new composite laminates, benchmarking performance against virgin materials. Complementing the experimental work, a full life cycle assessment (LCA) will be conducted to compare solvolytic recycling with conventional disposal and mechanical recycling pathways.

The outcomes will provide crucial data on energy use, carbon footprint, and circularity metrics, guiding future blade design and material selection. This studentship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a sustainable, closed-loop future for offshore wind energy—integrating materials science, chemical engineering, and environmental assessment to deliver tangible industrial and environmental impact. Applications are now open for October 2026 entry and will be considered on a rolling basis, and we therefore strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to interview as applications are received and offers may be made before all applications are reviewed and if a scholarship is filled any future scheduled interviews may need to be cancelled. The scholarships will remain open until all places are filled. We warmly welcome applications from all eligible candidates, and we particularly encourage applications from women, mature students, disabled applicants, and marginalised Black and Asian students with home fee status, who remain under represented in our cohorts.

If you need additional time to prepare your application due to disability, caring responsibilities, health related needs, or other circumstances linked to protected characteristics, you may submit a short Expression of Interest Form (EOI) to register your intention to apply. You will have 7 days from the date you submit your EOI to complete and su