Turbine Blade Roads

Chinese researchers have found an innovative way to repurpose discarded turbine blades into durable road materials, aligning with sustainability efforts in the region. A team from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a method to crush and chemically treat old blades, mixing them into asphalt and cement for road construction.

A real-world test of this approach was carried out on a section of the Qingfu Highway in Lanzhou, where, after five months, the road showed no signs of cracks or wear. Meanwhile, other initiatives are also exploring ways to make turbine blades easier to recycle or dispose of—including using quick-dissolving resins, GE’s recyclable thermoplastic, and cost-effective methods for breaking down epoxy-based blades.

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