Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) have built a prototype 9-meter wind turbine blade to demonstrate the manufacturability of a biomass-derivable resin, developed by NREL and nicknamed PECAN. The acronym stands for PolyEster Covalently Adaptable Network, and the resin provides a realistic path forward for chemical recycling of wind turbine blades- and hopefully preventing old blades from going to landfills at the end of their useful life as is current practice.
Composites made from the PECAN resin withstood weatherization validation and could be made within a similar timeframe to existing wind turbine blades. The findings are published in the new issue of the journal Science, “Manufacture and testing of biomass-derivable thermosets for wind blade recycling,” and involved work from investigators at five NREL research hubs.
Learn more here: News Release: NREL Advances Method for Recyclable Wind Turbine Blades | News | NREL