Researchers turn discarded wind turbine blades into graphene-rich material for newer ones

Wind turbines are often seen as one of the cleaner ways to generate electricity. Their towering structures and enormous blades have become familiar sights across landscapes, harnessing something as simple as the wind to produce power. But what happens when these machines grow old? While generating renewable energy is one part of the sustainability conversation, dealing with the waste left behind is another.Wind turbine blades are built to withstand years of strong winds, rain, extreme temperatures and constant movement. Unfortunately, their durability also makes them incredibly difficult to dispose of once they reach the end of their working lives. Many retired blades are still sent to landfills, creating a waste problem that the renewable energy industry has yet to fully solve.Researchers at Tsinghua University in China may have found a rather unusual way to tackle this problem. They have developed a technique that uses an intense burst of electricity to heat discarded wind turbine blade material to around 2,000°C in just half a second. The process transforms the waste into two valuable materials, silicon carbide and graphene, which could potentially be used to make stronger wind turbine blades.Why are old wind turbine blades so difficult to recycle?Wind turbines generally have a service life of around 20 years.