Global Fiberglass Solutions and Washington State University has announced that they’ve successfully manufactured a variety of composite products with fibreglass material taken from decommissioned wind blades.
The 173-foot long wind blades were damaged in a storm and collected from Portland General Electric’s Tucannon River Wind Farm located in Eastern Washington.
Prior to installation, the 173-foot long wind turbine blades were damaged in a storm and harvested by GFSI from Portland General Electric’s Tucannon River Wind Farm in Eastern Washington. The WSU Composite Materials and Engineering Centre processed small sections of the wind blade and blended the fibres with a new composition of resins and other materials developed by Global Fiberglass Solutions.
Testing conducted for the manufactured products showed overall superior mechanical and physical properties compared to many current wood composites. According to WSU Associate Professor Dr. Karl Englund, the resulting base composite material, Ecopolycrete, is suitable for a whole range of green manufacturing applications and products expected to have a significant impact on reducing the practice of landfilling fibreglass scrap from wind turbine blades and other sources.
According to CEO Don Lilly, GFSI now has a patented process in place that in combination with innovative machinery can take fibreglass and carbon fibre from efficient shredding and grinding to manufacturing commercially ready high-grade products.