Can wind turbine blade waste be a feasible supplementary cementitious material from a chemical perspective?

In order to solve the decommissioned wind turbine blades (WTBs) growing challenge, this study investigates the potential of using WTB waste (WTBW) materials as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in concrete. Three different WTBW were characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis-derivative thermogravimetry (TGA-DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), R³ calorimetry, and leaching tests. Results show WTBW exhibiting pozzolanic activity with limited release of potentially harmful elements (Cr, Cu, Mo, Pb, and V) under EU standard limits, suggesting their suitability as SCMs. This study establishes the technical feasibility of repurposing diverse WTBW sources as SCMs, identifying that while all sources possess pozzolanic potential, WTBW1 and WTBW2 offer superior reactivity due to better glass exposure. These findings provide a critical framework for source-specific characterizing strategies to predict the integration of WTBW into sustainable concrete production.