Building Bridges with Recycled Wind-Turbine Blades

21 Feb 2022

UCC researchers are behind the construction of a striking new 'blade bridge' that crosses the soon-to-be-opened greenway between Youghal and Midleton, Co. Cork. The bridge is just the second of its kind in the world.  The blades used in the project were decommissioned from a wind farm in Belfast avoiding nearly 800 kilograms of CO2 emissions that would have occurred if steel girders had been used. Re-Wind, the research network that spearheaded the project, is a collaboration between the MaREI research centre, UCC, and partners in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United States.

The rapid development of wind energy technology in the past 15 years has introduced a new dilemma - how to dispose of non-biodegradable wind turbine blades sustainably. Currently, conventional disposal methods for wind turbine blades are not sustainable - these include landfill, incineration, waste-to-energy, or co-processing in cement kilns. Repurposing blades to create new artifacts that are socially, environmentally, and economically beneficial can avoid the negative impacts of these disposal methods.

The team at Re-Wind believes that blade bridges are a cost-competitive option to traditional bridges with added environmental advantages. It is hoped that by seeing structures such as the new bridge in County Cork, the repurposing market will garner more interest from the wind-energy industry. 

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Read more about the project in The Verge