[ad_1]
Recently, the group of researchers from the University of Burgos SUCONS (Sustainable Construction Research Group) has given birth a pioneering project in the world: pave a street with a concrete created from the remains of already dismantled wind turbine bladesone of the most difficult elements of these wind colossi to recycle.
The results of the first tests say that this peculiar concrete “barely differs from conventional concrete”, which is great news for both the energy sector and the environment. Only in Spain plans to dismantle between 1,500 and 2,000 obsolete wind turbines between 2025 and 2030.
A project that opens the door to a much more sustainable wind future in Spain
The project, led by Professor Vanesa Ortega and Dr. Juan Manuel Manso, has allowed the Wind Turbine Blade Grinding (TPA) to become a viable input for construction. This residue, composed of glass fibers, polymer resins and other materials that are difficult to recyclehas been used to create a concrete that, according to Ortega, “has proven to have good workability and adequate mechanical behavior.”
Before we get here, the research teamIt had been carrying out numerous tests for months with waste from wind turbine blades to determine, among other things, its composition, density, granulometry, absorption, fiber resistance… In short, all the relevant parameters to create a concrete suitable for use.
Although studies are now being carried out to evaluate the long-term durability of this concrete, the first results are promising, with the pavement supporting the passage of about 70 vehicles a day without problems. The street that has been paved with this material It has an area of about 200 m2 and is located near the University of Burgos, in the area of the Higher Polytechnic School (Campus Milanera).
Several companies in the wind sector have collaborated in this project, which were looking for sustainable alternatives for waste management. “The need arose from the companies in the wind sector themselves that were looking for an alternative outlet to depositing in landfills,” Ortega explained in an interview with El Periódico de España.
And the initiative not only seeks to mitigate the environmental impact, but also boost the circular economy in the wind and construction industry. The province of Burgos, with the largest number of wind farms in the country and 80 wind farms of the 262 installed in Castilla y León (30%), is in a key position to address this challenge.
In addition, the research group has obtained funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Regional Government of Castilla y León, which has allowed progress towards a technology that can be applied on a large scale.
We must take into account that the wind sector faces the great challenge of replacing old wind turbines in the coming years, which are already 25-30 years oldby others of greater size and power. In Spain it is estimated that before 2030 it will be necessary to renew 50% of the installed wind capacity, which is about 30 gigawatts.
As the University explains, the removal of obsolete wind turbines generates an enormous amount of waste, including their blades and the concrete of their foundations.
Therefore, “it is necessary to search for solutions to recycle this waste, for the benefit of social, economic, industrial and environmental development, promoting at the same time the ecological transition of the wind industry, strategic in Spain, as this is the fifth country of the world with the greatest installed wind power,” he adds.
In other cities around the world, such as Amsterdam, also It has been exploring for some time with other projects to create pavements from recycled materials such as plasticbut the specific use of wind turbine blades for this purpose places Burgos at the forefront of sustainability in construction.
As the wind industry continues to expand, initiatives like this are crucial to addressing the waste challenge and contributing to a more sustainable future.
[ad_2]
Source link