Wind Turbine Blades Could Someday Be Recycled into Sweet Treats
As wind power comes to play a larger role in the renewable energy mix, some scientists are casting their eye deeper into the future to address the issue of waste. We’ve seen some inventive ideas around how giant turbine blades might be saved from landfill at the end of their lives, and a team from Michigan State University (MSU) have just thrown another one into the mix with some wide-ranging, and delicious, potential.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Goal 13: Climate Action
Introduction
As increasingly bigger wind farms kick into gear around the world, and operators turn to increasingly bigger blades to run them, the question of waste is only becoming more pertinent. The thermoset composites making up the turbine blades of today cannot be recycled, and with a lifetime of around 25 years, some studies have suggested there’ll be more than 40 million tonnes of the material in landfill by 2050.
Innovative Solutions for Recycling Wind Turbine Blades
We’ve seen scientists develop self-curing resins that could improve the recyclability of turbine blades, and big-name energy companies such as GE and Siemens Gamesa conjure up their own recipes that could see them recycled into other valuable products. Lending their expertise to the dilemma is a team of MSU chemical engineers led by John Dorgan, who only sees the problem getting worse.
The New Resin for Turbine Blades
Dorgan and his team have developed a new resin for turbine blades that consists of glass fibers and both plant-derived and synthetic polymers. The material was fashioned into panels that were tested for strength and durability, with the team finding they met the performance requirements for use in turbines, or even automobiles.
Recycling Potential
Most impressive, however, was the recycling potential of the new resin. The panels could be dissolved and the glass fibers removed, enabling the material to be cast into new products. The team mixed it with different minerals to produce cultured stone that could be put to use as kitchen countertops, and say it could be mixed with other plastic resins to make things like laptop covers.
Contributing to the Circular Economy
“The beauty of our resin system is that at the end of its use cycle, we can dissolve it, and that releases it from whatever matrix it’s in so that it can be used over and over again in an infinite loop,” said Dorgan. “That’s the goal of the circular economy.”
Exploring Other Applications
In one experiment, the team used an alkaline solution to digest the resin, which reduced it to acrylic materials for use in windows and car tail lights. This process also produced potassium lactate, which can be purified and turned into candy, a theoretical possibility the team felt obliged to test out.
Field Testing and Scaling Up
The scientists are looking to build on these promising results by making moderately-sized turbine blades for field-testing, though scaling up will have its challenges.
“The current limitation is that there’s not enough of the bioplastic that we’re using to satisfy this market, so there needs to be considerable production volume brought online if we’re going to actually start making wind turbines out of these materials,” Dorgan said.
Conclusion
The team presented its research at the Fall meeting of the American Chemical Society this week.
Sources
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | Target 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix | Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | Target 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse | Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning | Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
The article discusses the issue of waste generated by wind turbine blades and the need for recycling solutions. This connects to SDG 7, which focuses on affordable and clean energy, as wind power is a renewable energy source. It also relates to SDG 12, which promotes responsible consumption and production by addressing waste generation and recycling. Additionally, SDG 13, which aims to take urgent action to combat climate change, is relevant as the article highlights the environmental impact of wind turbine blade waste.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- Target 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
- Target 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse
- Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
The article indirectly addresses Target 7.2 by highlighting the increasing role of wind power in the renewable energy mix. It also relates to Target 12.5 by discussing the need to reduce waste generation through recycling and reuse of wind turbine blades. Furthermore, it touches on Target 13.3 by emphasizing the importance of finding sustainable solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of wind turbine waste.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption
- Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
- Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula
The article does not explicitly mention any indicators. However, Indicator 7.2.1 can be used to measure progress towards Target 7.2 by tracking the share of renewable energy, including wind power, in the total final energy consumption. Indicator 12.5.1 can measure progress towards Target 12.5 by monitoring the national recycling rate and the amount of material recycled, including wind turbine blades. Indicator 13.3.1 can assess progress towards Target 13.3 by evaluating the integration of climate change education and awareness measures into educational curricula.
4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | Target 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix | Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | Target 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse | Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning | Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula |
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Source: newatlas.com
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