Now the United States Host more than 157,000 wind turbines. There are three blades in each tower and if the weight of each blade is about 65 glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), there are many plastics. Even if each turbine lasts about 30 years, the blade should still be considered.
Critics who challenge the wind often can’t recycle turbine blades, but often leave them underground and potentially harmful pollutants.
Perhaps while attempting a blunt claim, one researcher developed a method of breaking down blades without rough chemicals and then recovered glass fibers that could be integrated into new and strong plastics. report In the journal Resources, preservation and recycling.
Recycling wind turbine blade
Left: wind turbine blade waste; Intermediate: Treatment and dry wind turbine blade glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP); Right: Infusion Plastics containing 70% recycled GFRP (photo of WSU). (Image Credit: WSU)
The researchers developed a fairly simple and relatively low tech and non -toxic approach. They cut the GFRP into a block of approximately 2 inch sizes. Then they put the material for about 2 hours in the pressurized overheated zinc acetate salts and water solutions. Finally, they extracted damaged fibers and added to the new plastics.
Cheng Hao, a graduate student of Washington State University and a thesis author, said, “This works very well, especially considering the light conditions we applied. press release. “The solvent is a green solvent, and the temperature is allowed for this purpose.”
Zinc acetate is considered relatively gentle and safe because it is used as a pharmaceutical and food additives such as the throat rhombus. The researchers also filtered the solution after the process was completed to recover most of the catalyst salt.
Read more: Solutions for solar panel waste have just begun.
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This technique can be very timely until the first -generation turbine blade, produced in the 90s, ends its lifespan. Thermoplasticity (use in milk bottles) is easy to green, but GFRP has been proven to be more stubborn to re -process.
Damaged GFRPs can actually be used to create new and stronger thermo small. Researchers are exploring various chemical conditions for solutions that reduce the amount of pressure (and energy) needed to break down GFRP. It also aims to create new types of turbine blades that are easy to recycle.
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik has been a science journalist for more than 20 years and has specialized in the issue of American life science policy and global science career. He started his career in the newspaper but switched to a science magazine. His work was published in publications, including science news, science, nature and scientific Americans.
