Education/ academic studies 1984-1988 professional education to aircraft manufacturer at Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, Speyer 1989-1994 academic study, special division of aerospace, at FH Aachen Professional Career 1989-1994 University Degree as aeronautical engineer, FH Aachen 1994 – 1995 R&D engineer at the R&D project from the German Federal Ministry of Transport Safety for passengers of sailplanes at the ground dash. FH Aachen 1995 – 1999 Assistant of the plant manager at the company Abeking & Rasmussen Rotec GmbH, Lemwerder, Germany, manufacturer, and developer of rotor blades 1999 - 2020 Technical Director at the company NOI / SINOI GmbH, Nordhausen, Germany. Manufacturer, and developer of rotor blades Start up the company from beginning and lead Integration of the team from NOI with the shareholder LZ Blades, Lianyungang, China from 2020 Join the Fraunhofer IWES as Senoir Engenieer in the Department Rotor Blades actual working scopes: research rotor blade manufacturing rotor blade recycling and sustainability

David is the Chief Strategy Officer at Carbon Rivers. Primarily, he leads client and investor relations in the CR global market. In addition, he liaisons with the automotive, aerospace, defense, construction, energy renewable, and marine industries to supply next generation glass fiber for a variety of applications. He also heads the pristine graphene enterprise applications with partners in composite, textile, coatings, elastomers, metal, and other global industry sectors. David also engages in policy and government relations. He has traveled extensively and worked with many types of businesses so his role is diverse for both US and international business development.

Irene Bach Velling Villadsen is R&D Project Manager at MAKEEN EnviroTech - the part of the organization where technology and equipment within value-chains for pyrolysis is developed. Irene was Project manager for the 3 year DecomBlades-project in MAKEEN, where 10 organizations collaborated with the aim to establish value-chains for recycling End of Life Wind Turbine Blades. MAKEENs part of the project was designing, installing and running a large scale pyrolysis test plant, specially designed for processing composite materials. AND to find off-take for the output products from the pyrolysis process.

Dr. Lima is an Environmental Engineer who graduated from the New University of Lisbon and specializes in waste and resource recovery in the construction industry. She has been affiliated with institutions in Europe, and North and South America, having experience across various research and industrial environments. Since 2022, she leads two Horizon Europe projects dealing with circular economy and climate mitigation in the construction sector.

An Aerospace Engineering graduate from Virginia Tech, Ryan Beach has over 18 years of industry experience in engineering and research.  He began working in the wind industry 12 years ago and is currently a Research Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Boulder, Colorado.  
Ryan’s research at NREL is focused on composite manufacturing and structural validation of wind turbine blades.  Since 2016 Ryan and the NREL composites manufacturing team have worked extensively with recyclable resin systems, from the coupon scale to full size blades, advancing the adoption of novel recyclable materials.

Vasileios Koutsos is Professor in Soft Materials and Surfaces at the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh and Deputy Head of the Institute for Materials and Processes. Formerly a Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics in Collège de France (Paris, France, 1998-2000), he holds a BSc in Physics (Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece, 1992) and a PhD in Polymer Science (Chemistry Department & Materials Science Centre, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, 1997). 
He works at the interface of Materials Engineering and Soft Matter Physics and his main research interests lie in polymers, recycling, composites and nanocomposites, nanomaterials, biomaterials, coatings, adhesion, friction, and surface characterisation. VK has authored 113 international journal publications and 6 book chapters (3 monographs). He has given over 50 invited and keynote talks at international conferences, meetings and seminar series.

Driven by a passion for engineering and innovation, Mr. Daniel Grisenti became a Chemical and Process Engineer with special interest in sustainability and hydrogen technologies. He graduated in 2019 from the University of Genova with a 110/110 score and a thesis that explored the application of ferritic stainless steels in SOFC stacks. 
After graduating, Daniel Grisenti joined RINA Consulting S.p.A. as a Process Engineer working on oil and gas projects. At the beginning of 2022 he started to work as a Project Manager for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects. He is currently the Project Coordinator of the REFRESH project and continues to write and coordinate Horizon proposals.

Jaime Moreno Juez: PhD in materials and processes engineering from “École Centrale de Nantes” (France). Project Manager at TECNALIA in the field of sustainable building materials and products and circular economy solutions in the construction sector.

Extensive experience, since 2020, in the role of the Director of the Institute for Energy, Recycling and Environmental Protection. Prof. Martin Wittmaier is an expert in waste management, biogas, bioremediation, renewable energy. Since 2023 Prof. Wittmaier is a Member of the Academy of the Circular Economy" of the German Association for Waste Management. Since 2018 - Appointment as a Honorary Professor of Hochschule Bremen (Bremen University of Applied Sciences). Since 2016 - a Sworn Expert for waste management and biogas plants, appointed by the Bremen Chamber of Commerce (IHK) for Bremen and Bremerhaven.

Dr. Ir. Albert ten Busschen (Zwolle, 1966) has a vast experience in the development and production of composite products and building products. After his study and promotion on composite mechanics at the Technical University in Delft, he worked at PPG Fiber Glass Industries as manager of the application laboratory. This was followed by the positions of head of the wood building product department at SHR Wood Research and of R&D manager on wood-polymer composites at Tech-Wood. After this, he was Technical Director of Poly Products .in Werkendam for 16 years. In this company various composite products have been developed, produced and installed for which Albert had the technical responsibility. One of the successes has been de CSC-certification of two types of Cargoshell composite containers for which he has been the project leader. Moreover, Albert was chairman of the dutch composites association CompositesNL for eight years. Since 2015, Albert has become associate professor on composites at the Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. In this position he has worked on composite application projects and has developed with his team the methodology of structural re-use of End-of-Life thermoset composites. 

Ignacio Julián holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering since 2015 by the University of Zaragoza (Spain) and currently serves as Microwave Technology Manager at CIRCE Technology Centre (Spain). His expertise encompasses microwave-assisted catalysis, chemical process intensification and thermochemical waste recycling. He has co-authored more than 40 scientific publications in indexed scientific journals as well as book chapters and white papers in the fields of microwave-assisted thermochemical processes and microwave-reactors scaling. He serves as guest editor for several special issues in these fields and as scientific reviewer for chemical engineering journals. His current interests focus on developing strategies to recycle wind blades in an energy-efficient way through fully electrified processes, exploring both microwave-assisted pyrolysis and solvolysis approaches as well as to assess the scalability of microwave-reactor units.

Joachim Karthäuser is chairman of Wingbeam Sweden AB. He is Ph.D. chemist from Göttingen University and has 30+ years international experience from the plastics and energy industry. He served for companies including Shell Chemicals, NKT, AGA Linde and later as founder / CTO / CEO of various start- and scale-ups, including Climeon (heat-to-power) and, since 2021,  Zelk Energy (hydrogen stations for heavy trucks). Joachim’s ambitions are to a) create bridges between research and commercialization, b) to assist with financing great projects and ideas in the sustainability field, and c) act as mentor for younger entrepreneurs.  

Nina Kølln Wittig is a materials specialist at Vestas, working to introduce blade recycling in the wind industry. Her work involves the implementation of innovative methods for material processing, separation, and chemical recycling. With a solid background in chemistry and nanoscience, Nina has spent the last decade working with composite materials, gaining invaluable experience and insights. Beyond her technical expertise, Nina is deeply committed to driving the sustainability agenda in the wind energy sector. She envisions a future where wind turbine blades are part of a truly circular economy, eliminating waste and maximizing resource efficiency. This ambition is not just about introducing new technologies, but also about transforming the way we think about materials and their lifecycle.

Dr. Mitchell Rencheck is a Sr. Research Engineer at the Electric Power Research Institute focusing on end-of-life management research for wind and solar technologies.
Dr. Rencheck currently leads the end-of-life management for wind energy research at EPRI. Additionally, he leads manages end-of-life management research projects for solar energy and technology agnostic circular economy projects geared toward the broader energy industry. Prior to joining EPRI, Dr. Rencheck was a postdoctoral research associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory working out of the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility where he led research regarding wind turbine blade and carbon fiber composite recycling and circular economy development. He also serves on the board of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) and was awarded as a 2023 SAMPE Young Professional Emerging Leadership Award Finalist in 2023.
Dr. Rencheck received his B.S. in Materials Engineering in 2016 from Purdue University and his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from Purdue University in 2020 where he specialized in polymer and composite mechanics.

Matthew Korey specializes in the development and industrialization of novel, sustainable manufacturing technologies for plastics and their composites.  His work focuses on mechanical, chemical, biological, and thermochemical methods of composite recycling and the use of advanced re-processing techniques and repurposing to recycle industrial composites waste.  Dr. Korey also has an R&D portfolio looking at the development and implementation of sustainably derived plastics made from renewable, waste-derived, and greenhouse gas-based plastics. He is currently an Associate R&D Scientist at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  Dr. Korey is also co-chair of the Circular Economy Working Group at the Institute of Advanced Composites Manufacturing and Innovation (IACMI) and Founding Chair of TMS PRIDE.

Karl Englund is a Research Professor at Washington State University’s Composite Materials and Engineering Center.  His research focuses on processing composites and utilizing natural fibers and many waste materials as feedstocks for composites and bioenergy.  Much of his work finds him collaborating with government agencies, non-profits, and industry.  His extensive research related to the fabrication and evaluation of cross laminated timber (CLT) and other mass timber materials has him exposed to many stakeholders amongst the supply chain.  Karl has been a PI or co-PI on other 50 projects and has worked with over 130 companies.  Karl also serves as Chief Technology Officer for Global Fiberglass Solutions (GFS).   GFS is a start-up manufacturing company focused on recycling wind turbine blades and other glass fiber composites into second generation products.  Karl’s primary responsibilities are focused on manufacturing operations, customer/application development, and new processing strategies to recycled synthetic fiber composites into value-added products.

Founder and CEO of KESCON Engineering

More than forty (40) years of design- and engineering work including hands-on experience with panel plants and composite-materials manufacturing around the world. Electrical- & Mechanical Engineering credentials and a strong Process-Technologist background provided the basis for comprehensive engineering services reaching from project-design, project-evaluation, project installations, project start-ups and commissioning. Engineering tasks for project retrofits and production- (quality and quantity) improvements as well as certified project appraisals. Hands-on experience with all material processing  and press systems: Continuous-Multi-, and Single-Opening processes as found in MDF, HDF, OSB, PB, and other composite panel manufacturing. Successfully completed and was fully responsible for industrial projects up to $168M, with an average project size in the $50M to $80M range.

In 2021 Mr. Kessing became Co-Founder and Partner of Continuum Group ApS, Reinhard is the CTO, and is the technology, IP and patent owner of Continuum, registered in Copenhagen, Denmark, a young, innovative start-up company, engaged in the industrialization of the technologies developed by the CTO for the recycling process of wind-turbine blades and similar GRP and PUR composites and the subsequent production of high-performing new composites, in particular for the manufacture of three-layer panels and multi-material composite panels consisting of reclaimed GRP and PUR materials, originating especially from wind blades, composite car parts and industrial waste.

Numerous inventions resulted in four (4) patent issues, all of them specific to the composite panels

For more information visit:  www.kescon.de or Kessing Reinhard | LinkedIn

Founder of Quantafuel and Wastefront. More than 25 years of experience as founder and CEO/MD of multiple companies in IT, Real Estate and Waste to Energy, having worked at MSX Intl’, Quantafuel and Wastefront. Expertise areas: Business & Product Development / Growth Strategies / Market Segmentation to maximise business potential. Experience across a wide range of technologies including renewables, consumer goods, energy supply chain, logistics, education and government. Excellent communication skills demonstrated through international experience in managing all levels from board of directors through start-up. High level of engagement in companies that are looking for growth in new markets.

Julien Sellier, STRUCTeam’s Co-Founder and Managing Director, has over 20 years of industry experience in advanced materials and structural engineering. After earning a master’s degree from École Centrale de Nantes, Julien held various Senior Structural Engineering positions before co-founding STRUCTeam in 2010. Julien supports clients across the renewables and materials sectors and is leading the business on an ambitious and continued growth strategy. Specifically in Wind Energy, STRUCTeam has established itself as the spar cap specialist with years of experience enabling the growth of blades. In materials, STRUCTeam is working to examine and assess the end-of-life value propositions of today’s resin systems, and tomorrow’s alternatives.

Justine Beauson is a research engineer from DTU Wind and Energy Systems. She holds a PhD from the same institution in the recycling of composite material and of wind turbine blades. She has participated in several research projects dedicated to the recycling of wind turbine blades and since 2023 she is the coordinator of the WiseWind project investigating new recyclable composites for blades. She is also leading the international network the IEA Wind Task 45 dedicated to the recycling of wind turbine blades, which includes more than 30 organizations from 10 different countries.

Julio is a chemist by the university of Zaragoza with a master in nanomaterials. He is currently working on his PhD in advanced biocomposties and their end of life while working on AITIIP, where he has been developing his research activities for more than 7 years. In this time, he has worked bringing together investors and innovators as well as boosting and financing of circular economy projects. Among the projects in which Julio has participated, it is possible to find different topics related with the circular economy and composites.

Julio has participated in more than 20 R&D European projects and several national projects. His participation in all these different projects has been possible due to the variety of techniques in which he has been worked on with polymers; in the field of thermoplastics with extrusion, injection, extrusion blow molding, blow film, casting; in the thermostable materials he has mainly worked with Liquid Resin Infusion and prepreg and the adaptation of both techniques for the use of bioresins and biofarbics.

His line of work is now focused on the fabrication of new sustainable components with advanced materials, the preparation of biobased polymers and the incorporation of composite materials in a circular economy concept.

Marta is the Chief Technology Officer in RenerCycle. She is responsible for overseeing the technological aspects of the business. Her main tasks are the definition of the technology strategy of the company, drive innovation and establishment strategic partnerships with external organizations. With 17 years’ experience in Wind Energy, Marta’s career has been defined by leadership positions at renowned wind turbine OEMs, including MTorres and Siemens Gamesa. At Siemens Gamesa, she took on the position of Control Chief Engineer becoming the maximum design authority for Control Technologies within the business. The role also implied the responsibility of defining the technology development strategy and roadmap of all activities related to Control Field. Before, she headed the Technology and Innovation Department where she was responsible of the definition and management of Onshore Technological Roadmap, introducing innovative solutions into the product portfolio and fostering collaborations with Universities and Research Centers. Prior her entrance into the wind industry, Marta worked as a research fellow in Hamilton Institute (Ireland) and as a postdoctoral researcher in ESA-ESTEC (The Netherlands), always involved in R&D activities. Marta has an Honours B.S. in Industrial Engineering and received her PhD in Control Engineering at the Public University of Navarre.

Mr Sandro Di Noi holds a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Bologna University with a particular focus on composites materials design, manufacturing and quality controls of civil airplanes (2008). He has over 14 years’ experience in the Wind Turbine Industry and Blades in particular. His employment history is as follows: > RWE Renewables Germany, Senior member of the Blades On-Shore Engineering team for Europe and Australia starting from 1st of September 2022; > Eneco, Asset Operations (on-shore and off-shore) as Wind Turbine Expert up to September 2022; > Suzlon Energy Limited the Netherlands, Blade R&D center, Hengelo The Netherlands, 2016 to 2019; > R&D manager and up to August 2021 as Innovation and Strategic Research Manager; > Siemens Wind Power, Aalborg Denmark, 2014 to 2016. Senior Process Engineer in the Production System department within the Blades division; > LM Wind Power R&D Center, Lunderskov Denmark, 2011 to 2013. Process Design Engineer in the Material and Process Design department; > Vestas Blades Italy, Taranto Italy, 2008 to 2011. Process Engineer in the Production Engineering department. Responsible for the complete blade production processes. Three different blade models were produced from 23 up to 44m length during the described timeframe in Taranto.

Dr Sofia Koukoura, is an Innovation Manager at ScottishPower (Iberdrola group). She holds a background in mechanical engineering and AI, with extensive experience in R&D projects in the wind energy sector. Her current mission involves addressing energy challenges and creating innovative solutions through research and cross-sector partnerships

Claudia Martens is a seasoned leader with a global perspective and has a rich background in international supply chain and application engineering.

With over two decades of experience in the wind industry, spanning five countries, Claudia has established herself as a driving force in the field. Holding influential roles in leading companies like Siemens Wind Power, GE, and Areva, she is known for her leadership prowess and entrepreneurial mindset, which have driven significant advancements in over 80% of companies' value chains.

However, it's Claudia's hands-on experience in the industry that has deeply influenced her commitment to sustainability. She sees it as her responsibility to ensure the environmentally friendly disposal of these turbines.

This passion for sustainability led her to co-found Joulmine, a startup dedicated to providing a fully circular recycling process for rotor blades. Joulmine offers a solution that recovers all materials and utilizes synthesis gas to regenerate carbons and produce carbon-neutral hydrogen.

Claudia Martens' unwavering dedication to innovation and sustainability continues to shape the future of the wind industry

Florian Max is the Team Lead for Composites at the Chair of Polymer Engineering at the University of Bayreuth. He studied Material Sciences at Hochschule Hof and Sports Technology at the University of Bayreuth. His research focuses on the processing of fiber-reinforced plastics, resin formulation, and the development of recyclable and sustainable resins. Florian has been a scientific staff member at the Chair of Polymer Materials at the University of Bayreuth since 2021, where his expertise lies in advancing the field of composite materials through innovative processing techniques and sustainable practices.

Building, commercializing and scaling a new corporate start up venture within the renewable energy sector, helping both development and operational wind farm owners plan effectively for the end of a projects life.

Kasper Buhl is a project manager focusing on further developing the composite and plastic material category at Stena Recycling A/S. Kasper has an MSc in Materials and manufacturing engineering and has throughout his career worked with plastics in product development. Stena Recycling has initiated a partnership with actors in the wind industry to recycle wind turbine blades through a patented process allowing the deconstruction of the entire blade into recyclable materials. This technology provides the opportunity to realize a longstanding strategic and ethical goal and a possibility to engage with new markets. . At the same time the project is part of leveraging partnerships to make general composite recycling a reality.

Dr Matija Kajić is a sustainability specialist, focusing on topics related to the circular economy and resource conservation. Matija obtained her PhD at Utrecht University on the topic of legislative barriers to the circularity of biological materials in the EU. Her research background covers legal and institutional challenges related to a variety of topics, including renewable energy, biomimicry and circular r-strategies. Employment outside of academia, at Triodos Bank and it the maritime sector, have diversified her professional interests to include the transport sector, as well as the role financial institutions play in driving transitions forward. You can find Matija on LinkedIn and ResearchGate

Marcello Colledani is Full Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department of Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He has carried out research activities at the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity (LMP) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is Fellow Member of the CIRP, the International Academy for Production Engineering. He is the coordinator of the EU H2020 large-scale demonstration projects FiberEUse, the I3 project DeremCO, and the Horizon Europe projects YourBan and ReBoat, targeting composite recovery and re-use, the EU H2020 project DigiPrime, for the development of a digital platform for circular economy in cross-sectorial sustainable value networks. He is co-founder of the start-up FiberEUse Tech.

Johannes is Director Strategic Marketing & Sales at KoiosTitan, the company that processes all thermoset composite material into new 100% circular products.He has a background in strategic and operational consulting, as well as varying international marketing and sales roles in a large multinational pharmaceutical company. Combining strategy with a hands-on mentality is his strength. He is passionate about improving the re-usability of materials, aiming for more circular manufacturing systems. Johannes holds an MSC from Utrecht University, Netherlands and an MBA from INSEAD, France.