WPB: A team of Chinese scientists has introduced a groundbreaking method for repurposing old wind turbine blades, potentially changing the way these large structures are handled after their operational life ends.
Following five years of intensive study, a research group led by Tang Zhicheng from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a technique that not only addresses the challenge of disposing of retired wind turbine blades but also turns them into useful materials, fostering sustainability in the renewable energy sector.
China’s wind energy industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, playing a crucial role in the global transition to cleaner energy and efforts to combat climate change. However, as wind turbines typically last between two and two-and-a-half decades, a significant number are now reaching the end of their service life.
Projections indicate that by 2025, a substantial wave of wind turbines in China will be decommissioned, raising concerns about their disposal. While some components, such as towers, hubs, and gearboxes, can be salvaged for scrap metal, turbine blades present a unique challenge. These blades, constructed from composite materials like glass fiber, carbon fiber, and epoxy resin, are designed to be lightweight, durable, and highly resistant to environmental forces. However, these very characteristics make them difficult and expensive to recycle, with no widely adopted large-scale solution currently available.
The research team has addressed this issue by taking advantage of the retired blades’ beneficial properties—lightweight construction, durability, and corrosion resistance. By employing a combination of mechanical grinding and chemical treatment, they successfully modified the blade materials for use in asphalt and concrete mixtures.
In collaboration with a local road construction firm, the team applied this innovative approach in September 2024, incorporating processed wind turbine blade materials into a section of the Qingfu Highway in Lanzhou, located in northwest China’s Gansu province.
Wang Zhaoli, deputy general manager of the road construction company, reported that after more than five months of use, the modified asphalt pavement demonstrated excellent durability, showing no signs of cracking, rutting, or material detachment. These promising results indicate that the method could provide an effective and practical way to repurpose retired turbine blades.
The research team plans to conduct further demonstration projects in 2025, working closely with industry partners to refine and scale up the technology. Their goal is to establish a reliable and widely applicable solution for recycling decommissioned wind turbine blades.
Tang emphasized that as advancements in recycling techniques continue, the growing number of retired wind turbine blades could be transformed into valuable secondary raw materials, often referred to as “urban minerals.”
This development, he noted, would not only support the long-term sustainability of the renewable energy sector but also play a role in China’s broader environmental objectives—achieving peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.
By Bitumenmag
Bitumen, asphalt, energy, china
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