# Tsinghua University makes graphene and silicon carbide from wind blade waste in 10 g lab batches - Published: 2026-11-15 12:21 UTC - Section: Planet › Ecology & recycling - Tags: wind turbine blade recycling, graphene from waste, silicon carbide, flash Joule heating, Tsinghua University, Chem Circularity, composite recycling, circular economy, wind energy waste - URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-0558f58bec15f2fe89bca794_tsinghua_university_makes/ **Researchers flash-heat ground turbine blades to about 2,000 °C for half a second. The work is at an early stage: so far only ten-gram batches have been processed.** ![Tsinghua University makes graphene and silicon carbide from wind blade waste in 10 g lab batches](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/98de63f0e013595d.webp) *noticiasambientales.com* Researchers at Tsinghua University have developed a method that converts discarded wind turbine blades into graphene and silicon carbide, according to noticiasambientales.com. The study was published in November 2026 in the journal Chem Circularity. [1] The experiments so far used batches of only ten grams of material. [1] Blades are made of composites designed to withstand decades of wind, moisture, solar radiation and temperature swings. That same durability makes them hard to recycle at the end of their service life. [1] ## How flash Joule heating works The method is called flash Joule heating. The blades are first crushed into small particles, then mixed with conductive carbon and subjected to powerful electrical pulses. [1] For about half a second the temperature reaches around 2,000 degrees Celsius, which triggers a series of chemical transformations. [1] Silica from the glass fibres is converted into silicon carbide. Part of the carbon in the polymer resins is rearranged into graphene. [1] The team also tested whether the recovered material can be reused in new components. Adding just 0.3% of it to certain resins used for blade manufacture produced a 27% increase in resistance to tensile deformation and a 9% improvement in flexural strength. [1] The material also showed a greater capacity to dissipate and distribute heat. [1] The authors point to possible use against ice build-up on blades in cold regions, where it reduces generation efficiency and adds maintenance work. [1] ## Waste volumes and estimates According to sector estimates, Europe could generate about 55,000 tonnes of blade waste per year by 2030. The European wind industry agreed to stop sending these materials to landfill from 2026. [1] Preliminary estimates by the researchers suggest the process could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 83% to 92% compared with some traditional waste treatment methods. [1] They also calculated a potential economic benefit of about 80 US dollars per tonne processed, based on the value of the recovered materials. [1] The authors caution that these figures come from experimental conditions and still have to be validated at industrial scale. [1] The technology remains at an early stage. The next steps named in the report are to show that the system can handle large volumes while keeping its efficiency and economic viability, to test the recycled materials in real industrial applications, and to determine whether they can be integrated into the manufacture of new turbines. [1] ## Sources 1. [noticiasambientales.com](https://noticiasambientales.com/compromiso-ambiental/cientificos-desarrollan-una-tecnologia-para-convertir-palas-eolicas-usadas-en-grafeno-y-materiales-de-alto-valor) --- Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-0558f58bec15f2fe89bca794_tsinghua_university_makes/