Editorial 1 Tribologie + Schmierungstechnik · volume 72 · issue 3-4/ 2025 DOI 10.24053/ TuS-2025-0012 As a teenager some connoisseurs told me that the 4 th state of matter for water is tomatoes from green houses in Holland. During Physics classes I learned that Plasma is the 4 th state of matter and commonly known applications are plasma television or plasma etching. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced at the end of 2022 that after laser pulsing a Deuterium and Tritium filled pellet with 2.05 Megajoule fusion energy of 3.14 Megajoule was released. The fusion releases Helium, Neutrons and Alpha Particles. The latter are absorbed by the Plasma and no radioactivity was formed. Over the last 3 years a lot of funds went into fusion energy research. This summer a 4-year research project on recycling glass fiber reinforced plastics (GRP) utilizing plasma was started. GRP places high demands on the recycling industry due to their complex composition. Currently, GRP waste is predominantly landfilled, incinerated for energy recovery, or used as filler in the cement industry. Special recycling methods are required to ensure that materials such as GRP, which are generated in large quantities from discarded wind turbine rotor blades, can be returned to a circular economy. One of the most promising methods for utilizing difficult-to-recycle composite materials is plasma gasification. The Project Objectives according to the participating partners are to investigate the feasibility and economic viability of plasma gasification for GRP. To this end, the process is being specifically adapted to the specific requirements of GRP, and its technical feasibility is being demonstrated on a laboratory and pilot scale. In thermal plasma, the polymers contained are converted into synthesis gas, while the glass fibers are separated in the form of slag. Heating the water from outside is intended to create an emission-free and residue-free recycling process. The study is investigating whether the secondary raw materials produced are of sufficiently high quality to be used as starting material for new chemical products in the spirit of a cradle-to-cradle cycle. The Leibniz Institute for Plasma Research and Technology (INP), Department of Radiation Technology is tasked for Plasma Gasification on Laboratory Scale and Clarification of Process Mechanisms. The Technical University of Freiberg (TUBAF), Department of Plasma Assisted Conversion handles the Gasification Process in Pilot Plant and Characterization of Product Quality. The Institute for Environment & Energy, Technology and Analytics (IUTA), Department of Resources & Recycling Technology contributes mechanical pretreatment and specification along the entire process chain. 1 million tons of GRP were produced 2022 in the European Union. Regardless if the consumed energy for this new process can be offset or the Wind Turbine share of GRP is high the public acceptance of Wind Turbines will increase. The nimby (not in my back yard) attitude slowed down the growth of wind turbines and fake news like wind turbines after use create toxic waste have influenced the public acceptance. If that funding went into tribology would be an alternative, leaves me to remind you Tribology is everywhere. Your editor in chief Manfred Jungk Plasma-Technology for Wind Turbines