Researchers have created a new composite for wind turbine blades that can be used to make furniture or confectionery. About informs American Chemical Society.
One of the biggest problems in wind energy is the recycling of end-of-life blades. They’re made of fiberglass and if they’re simply discarded, it will largely negate the environmental benefits of oil removal.
John Dorgan of Michigan State University and his colleagues have created a new type of recyclable material. To do this, they combined fiberglass with a plant-derived polymer and a synthetic one. Panels made from this thermoplastic resin were strong and durable enough to be used in turbines or automobiles. The researchers then dissolved the panels in fresh monomer and removed the fiberglass, allowing them to recycle the material into new products of the same type. More importantly, the converted panels had the same physical properties as their predecessors. By mixing the resin with various minerals, the team produced artificial stone that can be turned into household items such as countertops and sinks.
In addition, the material can be turned into more valuable products. Dissolving a thermoplastic resin in an alkaline solution releases polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a common acrylic material for windows, car frames and many other products. Dissolving in caustic at high temperature also produces potassium lactate, which can be purified and made into candy and sports drinks. “We took out dietary potassium lactate and used it to make the gummy bears that I ate,” Dorgan says.
Scientists are now planning to make the wings of a real windmill from this resin for field tests.