ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY/AUGUST 2024 21 How did Canvus get started in the sustainability sector? We don’t view ourselves necessarily as a member of the sustainability sector. We got started because we were in the energy business and handling the disposal of components from re-powered or decommissioned wind farms. While metals and fluids have been recycled for years and years and had easy outlets, there was no good marketplace for fiberglass blades. We took on the challenge to develop that marketplace. How large is the retired blade problem? An average of 5000-7000 blades per year reach their end of life and come down in the United States. Now, because of government stimulus programs like the Inflation Reduction Act, we expect to see about 10,00015,000 blades per year come down from 2025 through 2030. Canvus’ mission is to upcycle and fully recycle as many wind turbine blades per year as possible. Explain what materials turbine blades are made of and why conventional recycling techniques don’t work on them. The makeup of each blade is unique, and it’s interesting as we’ve gotten into this to see what goes into a wind turbine blade. Among the main substrates are fiberglass, which is glass combined with typically a polyester resin, and wood for support and structure. There are also metal components that hold things together and are part of lightning mitigation systems. Sometimes instead of wood, a urethane foam is used. The blades are made from a smorgasbord of materials and that is a real challenge from a recycling standpoint. Because of those mixed materials, the resin can burn—the glass does not. Our two biggest issues include reducing the 160-ft blades down to a manageable size, and finding a suitable recycling method, because traditional methods of recycling polymers can’t be applied to a thermoset like fiberglass. Describe the process your team uses to upcycle a turbine blade into a park bench. When a blade from a wind farm initially comes down, the entire piece is typically 150 to 175 ft. Our team comes on the scene and cuts the blade in the field into cross-sections depending on the original length. It might be divided into three or four sections, so that it can be loaded on a truck safely and efficiently moved. From there, we bring it into the facility and use a rope saw, similar to what is used in the field, to cut it down into further filets: 18, 24, or 36 in., depending on the product that it’s going to become. Next, our craftsmen and women take over because there TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT RECYCLED WIND TURBINE BLADES GET NEW LIFE IN PUBLIC SPACES AM&P spoke with Brian Donahue of Canvus to learn how this manufacturer upcycles end-of-life wind turbine blades into furniture for communities, parks, and schools. This colorful installation brightens a park in Avon, Ohio. Sectioned blade filets, ready to be upcycled.
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