The use of wind power in the United States has started to create a substantial waste issue, as the leftover turbine blades are dumped in widespread areas and are difficult to recycle due to their considerable size and durable material
However, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory say they have developed a turbine blade made from plant material that can be recycled, maintaining this prototype can perform as well as traditional blades that are made from a combination of fiberglass and plastic and which have been very difficult to reuse.
The new substance is made from inedible sugar extracted from wood, plant remains, used cooking oil and agricultural waste. Dr. Robynne Murray, one of the researchers at the national laboratory, told The New York Times the new recyclable material could be easily adopted by the industry.
Currently, these massive blades are chopped into pieces and buried in a handful of landfills across the Great Plains at the end of their life span of around 20 years. The few sites in Wyoming, Iowa and South Dakota have been nicknamed wind turbine graveyards.
More than 1,000 blades are buried at the Casper Regional Landfill in Wyoming, which does not accept blades from out of state. While wind blades do not exude toxic substances when buried in landfills, they can be as long as 120 feet and are cut into 40-foot sections before disposal, taking up a significant amount of space. The landfill in Casper can accommodate around 9,000 more blades, according to a fact sheet provided by city officials, The New York Times reported.
By 2050, engineers expect more than 43 million tons of landfill waste will be generated by turbine blades globally, which is about three times more than the total waste New York City produces every year.
Some European countries, including Germany, Austria, Finland and Netherlands, have banned turbine blades from landfills, as the cost of discarding wind blades can be much higher in other countries with smaller land area and higher population density than the United States. While blades have been repurposed in some instances for other uses such as cement production, utility poles, etc., this still does not account for their production costs and some remaining environmental effects.
Yet, the new material developed by the scientists at the national laboratory can be recycled by dumping it into a bath of methanol heated up to around 440 degrees Fahrenheit, which turns it into an elastic liquid that can be molded into a new shape.
When the durability of the recyclable substance was tested, it met the manufacturing requirements and endured stress better than traditional substances by some measures, according to Dr. Murray. The next step for this material is creating a full-scale blade around 45-feet long and testing it, she added.
