Durable porous asphalt mixture using recycled wind turbine blade materials

The SUCONS Research Group, part of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Burgos, recycles waste such as steel slags, concrete aggregates, and wind turbine blades to create sustainable construction materials like concrete, asphalt mixtures, and stabilized soils. They combine materials science, environmental and economic analysis, statistics, and civil engineering to ensure the materials are durable, strong, and easy to use, providing efficient and sustainable solutions.

The rapid growth of wind energy has created a new environmental challenge: recycling wind turbine blades at the end of their life, which combine resins, glass or carbon fibers, polymers, and balsa wood, making their treatment difficult and causing many to end up in landfills. Current solutions include thermal, chemical, and mechanical processes; the first allow fiber recovery but are costly and degrade the material, while mechanical recycling is more economical and sustainable, although it currently only uses selected blade fractions. This leaves an opportunity to utilize the full range of blade components to produce sustainable construction materials.

Applications

• Road paving: Draining bituminous mixtures for urban streets, moderately trafficked roads, and high-capacity highways with heavy traffic.
• High-rainfall areas: Improves water drainage, reducing the risk of hydroplaning and increasing road safety.
• • Noise reduction: Applicable to pavements where a reduction in rolling noise is desired.
• Sustainable construction: Integration into projects that prioritize the circular economy and the use of recycled materials.
• Resilient and durable road infrastructure: Suitable for different service conditions, from urban environments to roads subjected to heavy traffic.

New and innovative aspects

• Comprehensive use of wind turbine blade waste: The shredded material is incorporated without the need to separate its components (fibers, resins, polymers, wood).
• Simplified manufacturing process: Does not require fine grinding or chemical or thermal treatments, reducing costs and energy consumption.
• Internal reinforcement of the mixture: The fibrous structure of the TPA improves cohesion, resistance to cracking and abrasion, and pavement durability.
• Circular economy applied to wind energy: Makes use of a waste stream that currently lacks an industrial outlet, reducing landfill disposal.
• Compatibility with conventional asphalt plants: Facilitates industrial-scale implementation and adoption without the need for special equipment.

Main advantages of its use

• Environmental sustainability: Reduces the landfilling of wind turbine blade waste and the consumption of natural resources (aggregates and cement).
• Durability and mechanical performance: Improves resistance to cracking, abrasion, and pavement aging.
• Efficient drainage: Enhances water runoff and improves road safety.
• Reduction of rolling noise: Sound-absorbing properties thanks to the fibrous structure.
• Cost-effective and simple process: Low-energy crushing without the need for complex treatments.
• Versatility of application: Can be used on different types of roads and under various climatic conditions.

Specifications

• High cohesion and mechanical strength.
• Durability against abrasion, cracking, and aging.
• Controlled permeability, ideal for water drainage.
• Suitable for different environments and traffic loads.
• Promotes the circular economy and reduces environmental impact.

Composition of the draining bituminous mixture:

• Ophitic natural aggregates
• Polymer-modified bitumen with elastomeric polymers (PMB)
• Portland cement as filler
• Shredded wind turbine blade material (TPA)

Desired business relationship

Commercial Agreement, License Agreement, Technical Cooperation: further development; Technical Cooperation: testing new applications; Technical Cooperation: adaptation to specific needs.