They are being clever with the multiple meanings of the word "big". While the largest challenge to wind power is still, as it was twenty years ago, the intermittency of the power produced, the blades are indeed "big."
From OilPrice, May 6:
- Scientists came up with a process to disassemble the epoxy composite of wind turbine blades.
- The process can contribute to establishing a potential circular economy in the wind turbine, aerospace, automotive and space industries.
- Wind turbine blades mostly end up at waste landfills when they are decommissioned, because they are extremely difficult to break down
Danish researchers at Aarhus University have developed a chemical process that can disassemble the epoxy composite of wind turbine blades – and simultaneously extract intact glass fibers as well as one of the epoxy resin’s original building blocks in a high-quality. The recovered materials could potentially be used in the production of new blades.
The research paper has been published in the leading scientific journal Nature, and Aarhus University, together with the Danish Technological Institute, has filed a patent application for the process.
The new chemical process is not limited to wind turbine blades but works on many different so-called fiber-reinforced epoxy composites, including some materials that are reinforced with especially costly carbon fibers.
Thus, the process can contribute to establishing a potential circular economy in the wind turbine, aerospace, automotive and space industries, where these reinforced composites, due to their lightweight and long durability, are used for load-bearing structures....
....MUCH MORE
The Danes do have some experience with wind turbines.
I can't be too hard on the headline writer, I did the same thing back in 2019:
Wyoming Landfill Burying Used Windmill Blades (and what to do with the ever increasing supply of the things)
Not exactly an 'elegant' solution.
Following up on Sept 21's "Solve This Wind Turbine Problem And Make Some BIG Money"....
How do you move a 200ft wind turbine blade? Carefully. Very carefully
This is quite amazing but the method we looked at in 2019 was almost mindblowing.
From TransInfo:
Luxembourg based P. Adams Schwertransporte, who specialize in the transport of heavy items, has revealed striking photos of how it transported a 67-metre-long blade for a wind turbine.
In the opinion of many, the head-scratching pictures look as though they’ve been photoshopped. However, the transport company assures they are genuine....
....MORE
And more from GeekWeek.pl at TekDeeps.
And from the BIG money post:
