Scientists in China have turned worn-out wind turbine blades into material for building roads: ‘The roads don’t show any cracks’

Wind turbines are unparalleled when it comes to generating clean energy, but when they run out of their use, the blades can become a nuisance and hazardous to the environment. Created to survive punishing winds, these blades can be rather difficult to recycle. However, a group of researchers in China found a brand new use for these blades – they can be transformed into material to build long-lasting roads!

According to a report by Refractor, A team from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has devised a process of crushing and chemically treating old blades so they can be combined into asphalt mixtures and cement concrete for constructing roads. The researchers actually figured this out in 2024 and trialled it with a construction company last September. Five months after creating the asphalt mixture and laying a section of the Qingfu Highway in the northwest Chinese city of Lanzhou, the road has reportedly not developed any cracks or rutting.

In an interview with China Daily, Wang Zhaoli, deputy general manager of the road construction company, explained that the modified asphalt pavement has proven to be rather promising after five months of observation. The road did not show any cracks or rutting or material coming off.


According to Tang, this change would help China achieve its dual carbon goals of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060 and peaking carbon emissions by 2030. It would also support the sustainable growth of the renewable energy sector.

What Makes Wind Turbine Blades Difficult To Recycle?

While turbine towers, hubs and gearboxes can be recycled without much difficulty, blades are made from composite material known as glass fibre carbon fibre and epoxy resin, and these ingredients make them resistant to the winds but at the same time extremely difficult to recycle.