Retired wind turbine blades are transformed into new sand-control materials

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On February 26, it was learned from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, that a team led by Researcher Liu Benli at the institute’s Dunhuang Gobi Desert Research Station has successfully developed a new type of sand-control material using used wind turbine blades as raw material, providing a new solution for the recycling of such blades. The relevant research findings were recently published in the international journal of soil and water conservation, ‘International Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Research’. Dust storm disasters severely affect the social and economic development, ecological protection, and infrastructure construction in desert areas. Existing sand control measures can effectively prevent and control sand-related hazards, but traditional materials such as straw and reeds used have issues such as easy aging, short lifespan, and insufficient strength. At the same time, the wind energy industry in the desert areas of western China is developing rapidly, with the design life of wind turbines generally ranging from 20 to 25 years. Relevant data shows that wind turbines installed earlier are expected to be retired by 2025. “Wind farms are often located near or overlap with areas that require sand control measures, and this geographical overlap facilitates the supply of raw materials for sand control as well as the recycling of resources. ”said Yanamoto Tatsuya. The research team used processes such as cutting and drilling to transform retired or damaged wind turbine blades into new types of porous sand barriers. Through tests such as ultraviolet aging, cyclic heating and cooling, erosion and abrasion, as well as bending strength tests, the research team confirmed that these porous sand barriers possess excellent bending strength, thermal stability, as well as resistance to ultraviolet aging and wear and tear; their bending strength is 14 times that of wooden composite panels. Wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulation results show that these sand barriers can effectively modify the structure of wind-sand flows and reduce near-surface wind-sand transport. The researchers explain that the new type of sand barrier combines excellent sand prevention capabilities with high strength, making it suitable for areas suffering from severe sand problems characterized by large temperature fluctuations, intense ultraviolet radiation, and frequent sandstorms. It holds great potential for application in industries such as the recycling of sand prevention materials and wind turbine blades.