Wind Power

Resin made from biomass aids recycling of wind turbine blades finds NREL

Resin made from biomass aids recycling of wind turbine blades finds NREL
Small cubes of the PolyEster Covalently Adaptable Network (PECAN) resin used to understand their depolymerization kinetics. (Photo by Werner Slocum / NREL)

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have published findings that show a new bio-derivable resin could improve wind turbine blade recyclability.

The research demonstrated that a new resin made of materials produced using bio-derivable resources performs on par with the current industry standard of blades made from a thermoset resin.

NREL researchers have nicknamed the biomass-derivable resin PECAN (PolyEster Covalently Adaptable Network) and have demonstrated its use in a 9-meter blade prototype.

According to NREL, PECAN allows wind turbine blades to be recycled using mild chemical processes, unlike current methods that shred blades for concrete filler.

NREL states that the chemical process can completely break down the prototype blade in six hours.

Ryan Clarke, a postdoctoral researcher at NREL and first author of the new paper describes it as “truly a limitless approach if it’s done right,” as chemical recycling allows components to be reused again and again in remanufacturing the same product.

“The PECAN method for developing recyclable wind turbine blades is a critically important step in our efforts to foster a circular economy for energy materials,” said Johney Green, NREL’s associate laboratory director for Mechanical and Thermal Engineering Sciences.

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Researchers began experimenting with various feedstocks before settling on PECAN and needed to prove the resin could perform as well as conventional resins. There was a particular concern that using this material would make the blade more prone to losing shape over time, also known as “creep”.

The research proved that composites made from the PECAN resin held their shape and withstood weatherization tests. Also, researchers suggest that the 9-meter blade prototype provided proof of process, regardless of the scale of the blade.

Nic Rorrer, one of the two corresponding authors of the Science paper, commented in a statement: “It really challenges this evolving notion in the field of polymer science, that you can’t use recyclable materials because they will underperform or creep too much.”

“Nine meters is a scale that we were able to demonstrate all of the same manufacturing processes that would be used at the 60-, 80-, 100-meter blade scale,” said Robynne Murray, the second corresponding author.

The paper, Manufacture and testing of biomass-derivable thermosets for wind blade recycling, involved work from investigators at five NREL research hubs, including the National Wind Technology Center and the BOTTLE Consortium.

The other coauthors, all from NREL, are Erik Rognerud, Allen Puente-Urbina, David Barnes, Paul Murdy, Michael McGraw, Jimmy Newkirk, Ryan Beach, Jacob Wrubel, Levi Hamernik, Katherine Chism, Andrea Baer, and Gregg Beckham.

Most wind turbine blades end up in landfills once they reach end of life, with estimates suggesting there will be more than 40 million tons of blade waste worldwide by 2050.

Originally published in Power Engineering International.

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