Scientists from the University of California at Davis decided to tackle the issue of ecological destruction of wind turbine blades, because according to experts’ forecasts, by 2025 their volume in the form of non-recyclable waste will reach 43 million tons. The authors of the development suggested using bamboo and cork mycelium in the design of the blades. Thus, knives that have expired do not harm the environment after disposal.

Experts checked the compatibility of the mycelium of some types of fungi, substrates and frame materials. They believe that some types of organic waste combined with mycelium could replace the polyurethane and acrylic used in the manufacture of wind turbine blades.

The basis of the blade will be bamboo. The scientists said their project would not have reached the testing stage if their group hadn’t found a man from China knitting frames from bamboo threads. Scientists are preparing to test an organic blade containing mycelium on a 1 kW turbine with simulated wind speeds of up to 137 km/h. If the tests are successful, the authors of the development will seek a manufacturer to introduce their technology into commercial products. In their opinion, there should be no problems with scaling.