3632°F heat turns old wind turbine blades to silicon carbide, graphene

Why scientists are heating old wind turbine blades to 2,000°C

Europe risks becoming a dumping ground for hard-to-recycle wind turbine blades but new research has found a ‘hot’ solution

Scientists give hard-to-recycle wind turbine blades a second life

From intense UV radiation and extreme temperatures to wind gusts and lightning strikes, wind turbine blades are engineered to withstand some of the harshest conditions. But that durability becomes a problem at the end of their lives, because the blades are also difficult to break down and recycle.

3632°F heat turns old wind turbine blades to silicon carbide, graphene

Researchers at Tsinghua University have developed an "upcycling" method using flash Joule heating to turn retired wind turbine blades into silicon carbide and graphene.