From Wind Turbine Blades to High-Performance Raw Materials
https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2025/04/03/researchers-recycle-wind-turbine-blade-materials-to-make-improved-plastics/#:~:text=%E2%80%93%20A%20new%20method%20to%20recycle,materials%20to%20create%20stronger%20plastics.
April 3, 2025 – Wind turbine blades are typically made from glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), a material that has traditionally been difficult to recycle. Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) have developed a new method to recycle wind turbine blades without using harsh chemicals. The process recovers glass fibers and resins, which can then be reused in new products. WSU’s methodology involves first cutting the glass fiber reinforced polymer wind turbine blades into cubes approximately two inches in size. The blocks are then soaked in a zinc acetate bath and heated under high pressure for about two hours.
This process produces pure reusable materials, while most of the catalyzing zinc acetate solution can be recovered with a simple filtration step.
The research was published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling last April under the title “Mild chemical recycling of waste wind turbine blades for direct reuse in the production of thermoplastic composites with enhanced performance.” Doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108159
Left: Waste wind turbine blades; Middle: Treated and dried glass fibre reinforced polymer (GRP) wind turbine blade; Right: Injection-moulded plastic with 70 percent recycled GRP (Illustration WSU)
