The vast majority of wind turbine blades will end up in landfills, largely removing their contribution to low-carbon energy. By 2050, this will mean more than 43 million tons of non-recyclable waste. Scientists from the University of California at Davis addressed the issue of ecological destruction of wind turbine blades based on the production of fungal mycelium, an organic substrate and a frame made of bamboo.

A group of researchers addressed issues of compatibility of the mycelium of a number of fungi, including edibles, substrates and materials for frameworks. The developers are confident that the mycelium in combination with a substrate made from organic waste can replace polyurethane and acrylic. In fact, the development of organic blades began with the 2018 project to create an organic helmet for cyclists with a mycelium lining.

Thanks to a Chinese native who joined the group, it was found that someone had knitted the frame of the knife out of bamboo. The university acknowledges that without this expert, the development of the project would not have passed into the prototype testing phase. Scientists are preparing to test an organic shovel containing mycelium on a 1 kW turbine with simulated wind speeds of up to 137 km/h. If the tests are successful, it will be possible to start talking to real knife manufacturers, because the scientists are confident that the scaling issue will not be a problem.

The Germans offer a less environmentally friendly, but more reliable way to dispose of wind turbine blades. They created the blades and paired them with acids that dissolved the epoxy resin before breaking the blades down into their component materials. And such knives already give the initial energy.