<
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/12/11/recyclable-plant-based-material-could-take-a-spin-on-next-generation-of-wind-turbines/>
"About three years ago, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers
Robynne Murray, Nicholas Rorrer, and their team set out on a mission to make an
easily recycled resin to serve as the central glue holding a wind turbine blade
together.
They began by formulating their resin in thimble-sized vials at the lab bench.
And after several rounds of experimenting, fine tuning, and slowly scaling up,
the team successfully used their new resin to construct a 9-meter prototype
wind turbine blade (the size of a volleyball net) — marking a major milestone
toward the material’s readiness for mainstream manufacturing.
Nicknamed PECAN, the new resin boasts a novel composition, but it is neither
flavored nor made with its nutty namesake. Instead, the name is an acronym
representing the material’s chemical structure (PolyEster Covalently Adaptable
Network). The researchers designed the PECAN resin using biobased chemicals
that can be easily extracted from plant waste.
Now, you may be thinking, “What’s the point of using plant waste to make a wind
turbine blade?”
The answer lies in sustainability and recyclability."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
