Researchers at Tsinghua University have developed a method to convert decommissioned wind turbine blades into silicon carbide and graphene. The process involves pulse heating shredded composite materials to approximately 2000 degrees Celsius within seconds.
The blades consist of fiberglass and polymer resin. During the high-temperature treatment, carbon from the resin reacts with silicon and oxygen to form silicon carbide, while the remaining carbon transforms into graphene. This approach addresses the challenge of recycling durable composite waste.
Experimental results show that adding 0.3 percent of the recycled mixture to new polymer resin increases tensile strength by 27 percent and flexural strength by 9 percent. A 0.1 percent addition improves thermal conductivity by 41 percent, suggesting potential for manufacturing new blades.
The team estimates the process could generate a profit of $80 per ton of waste. This compares favorably to existing methods, where pyrolysis costs $460 per ton and chemical dissolution costs $1800 per ton. The researchers are currently working on industrial scaling.
