Researchers have converted material from discarded wind turbine blades into silicon carbide and graphene using a rapid heating process, then used a small amount of the recovered mixture to strengthen resin in laboratory tests.
The study, published in Chem Circularity on Nov. 6, examined flash Joule heating, which brings blade material to about 2,000°C in seconds. The process can make carbon in the blade’s polymer resin react with silica in its fiberglass, producing silicon carbide, while some carbon reorganises into graphene. Brightsurf reported details of the research.
When researchers added recovered material equal to 0.3% of a resin’s weight, the resin showed 27% greater resistance to deformation under tension and 9% greater resistance when bent. At a 0.1% concentration, the material also increased thermal diffusivity by 41%, according to the study summary.
Promising results remain at laboratory stage
The team says the silicon carbide and graphene mixture could be incorporated into resin for future turbine blades. Senior author Bing Deng, a chemical and environmental engineer at Tsinghua University, described the approach as “more than recycling” because it could turn low-value waste into a more valuable material.
The work is still a proof of concept, not evidence that full-size blades can already be manufactured this way. Experiments used small batches, including tests with up to 10 grams of material; larger-scale processing and testing in complete composite structures remain necessary, ConnectSci reported.
The research addresses a growing waste stream as older turbines are retired. Annual decommissioned blade waste in Europe is projected to rise from 20,000 tonnes in 2025 to 55,000 tonnes by 2030. WindEurope’s voluntary industry-wide landfill ban took effect last year, and the association has urged EU policymakers to put the ban into legislation, according to Euronews.