disposing of wind turbine blades

[D2Cat]

These pictures show how difficult it is to solve all of our problems with one solution.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...be-recycled-so-they-re-piling-up-in-landfills

 

[NHSleddog]

Most of the material in the blades being fiberglass composites isn't very recyclable and I can't imagine all the resins used being any good. I do like the turbines though. In NH we have several good wind corridors that makes it viable.

The first wind farm in the country was right down the road from me at Crotched Mountain in NH. It went from the mid 70's to the mid 80's IIRC. US Dept of Energy, NASA and several universities were involved. I kind of grew up with it.

Fun Fact: The highest wind speed ever recorded in America was at the top of Mt. Washington, NH in 1934. 231MPH It was the highest recorded wind speed in the world until tropical cyclone Olivia in 96 (off Australia).

 

[greeno]

Nothing comes for free. I’d rather bury fiberglass than torch coal.


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[NHSleddog]

Nothing comes for free. I***8217;d rather bury fiberglass than torch coal.


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LOL - You have to torch coal to make fiberglass. Also a lot of the metallurgy in the manufacturing of the turbines and electrical sub systems require coal. Coal isn't all bad, we just need to put it to better use.

 

[Magicman]

I wish the picture had been resized so that it didn't blow the screen for the entire topic page.

 

[NHSleddog]

I wish the picture had been resized so that it didn't blow the screen for the entire topic page.

+1 It would be good to force the size on uploads that are too large.

 

[beex]

LOL - You have to torch coal to make fiberglass. Also a lot of the metallurgy in the manufacturing of the turbines and electrical sub systems require coal. Coal isn't all bad, we just need to put it to better use.

right, the coal problem has more todo with how much we use. The planet can process pollution, just not at rate we are making.


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[ccoon520]

These pictures show how difficult it is to solve all of our problems with one solution.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...be-recycled-so-they-re-piling-up-in-landfills

Looks like a business opportunity for someone to me. Imagine if you created a business that breaks down that fiberglass to a size that landfills or recycles could handle. You'd be the only one in it for at least a couple years and could charge whatever you wanted especially if you made a deal with the landfills so they turned away full sized blades.

 

[skeets]

greeno,, you reminded me of a UMWA bumper sticker from days gone by

Ban mining,, Let the bastards freeze in the dark,, guess that says what side I sit

 

[mcfarmall]

Those blades can easily be shredded and the resulting fodder separated for salvageable metal, etc.. http://www.ssiworld.com/en/watch_it_shred

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

+1 It would be good to force the size on uploads that are too large.

It's not an upload, it's a link to an outside source, so no size restrictions

 

[sheepfarmer]

You know that wall? Cut them into suitable lengths and tie, bolt them together on location. Can't be any stupider than any of the other designs that aren't working as planned.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Those blades can easily be shredded and the resulting fodder separated for salvageable metal, etc.. http://www.ssiworld.com/en/watch_it_shred

There ain't much metal in them, and ground up fiberglass and components are an excellent carcinogen (cancer causer) and that's about it.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Looks like a business opportunity for someone to me. Imagine if you created a business that breaks down that fiberglass to a size that landfills or recycles could handle. You'd be the only one in it for at least a couple years and could charge whatever you wanted especially if you made a deal with the landfills so they turned away full sized blades.

Again, ground up fiberglass and components are an excellent carcinogen (cancer causer) and that's about it.

Once the dozer or packer rolls over them they will be completely flat and without releasing very much debris into the air to get breathed in.
Yea they will probably never break down to any inert form so years from now our future generations will be wondering how in the heck to deal with the pile of crud that we left behind.

"Fiberglass is nearly impossible to recycle, yet we must be careful to handle it properly and not let its toxins collect in landfills".

"The disposal of spent blades is a growing problem that tends to be ignored ... Crushing a blade yields about 15,000 pounds of fiberglass waste, and the process creates hazardous dust."

 

[skeets]

I wonder if as you say crushing then and mixing that in to cement for road ways and such

 

[greeno]

greeno,, you reminded me of a UMWA bumper sticker from days gone by



Ban mining,, Let the bastards freeze in the dark,, guess that says what side I sit

Not at all what I was saying. Only hippies have bumper stickers and I ain’t one of those.

What I’m saying is: the dinosaur juice is running out, we have to figure out something different. I’d hate to not have any for my Kubota.

If that means burying some blades in the interim I’m all for it.


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[Magicman]

I would love to have some of those middle sections. Me thinks that they would make good culverts for crossing some small streams.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Like solar panels. After their useful lifespan of 25 years, what do you do with them?

 

[sdk1968]

i thought you were doing a small windmill for your place when i clicked on this...

 

[ccoon520]

Again, ground up fiberglass and components are an excellent carcinogen (cancer causer) and that's about it.

Once the dozer or packer rolls over them they will be completely flat and without releasing very much debris into the air to get breathed in.
Yea they will probably never break down to any inert form so years from now our future generations will be wondering how in the heck to deal with the pile of crud that we left behind.

"Fiberglass is nearly impossible to recycle, yet we must be careful to handle it properly and not let its toxins collect in landfills".

"The disposal of spent blades is a growing problem that tends to be ignored ... Crushing a blade yields about 15,000 pounds of fiberglass waste, and the process creates hazardous dust."

Asbestos is also cancerous but a whole industry has thrived from the safe removal and disposal of it.

I am not saying it is an easy task (otherwise we would already have a solution), but it is an industry that is wide open and a company that can break them down safely will have the potential make a lot of money. It will also save space in landfills because I believe the internals of those blades are hollow. If a company can find a way to recycle them then they will have the potential to make even more because then landfills can start refusing them like they do tires leaving them only one option for recycling.