Effect of wind turbine blade waste on cement hydration and gel structure: Competitive interaction of glass and polyester resin

Tao Liu; Ceren Duyal-Kulak; Charilaos Paraskevoulakos; Kasper  Enemark-Rasmussen; Ashal Tyurkay; Nataliya Lushnikova; Florent Gauvin; Ana Teresa Lima

doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2025.113273

Effect of wind turbine blade waste on cement hydration and gel structure: Competitive interaction of glass and polyester resin

Tao Liu (Corresponding author)
, Ceren Duyal-Kulak
, Charilaos Paraskevoulakos
, Kasper Enemark-Rasmussen
, Ashal Tyurkay
, Nataliya Lushnikova
, Florent Gauvin
, Ana Teresa Lima

Building Materials

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

With the rapid expansion of wind energy infrastructure, managing wind turbine blade waste (WTBW) has become an increasing environmental concern. This study explores the potential use of WTBW as a partial cement replacement to understand its influence on the reaction process, reaction products, and gel structure of cementitious composites. The alkali dissolution behavior of WTBW was investigated under different pH conditions, while isothermal calorimetry was used to monitor early hydration. The gel structure was characterized using 29Si and 27Al Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and the resulting pore morphology and microstructure was visualized using X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT). Results revealed a critical competing mechanism between the glass and resin components of waste. At 5 wt% replacement, the glass content contributed to the release of Si(OH)4 and Al(OH)4– species, promoting a more complex and extended C–(A)–S–H gel network and improved pore structure. However, the polyester resin in WTBW hindered early hydration beyond 5 wt% by consuming hydroxide ions, reducing pore solution pH, and releasing inhibitory glycol and carboxylate salts. In contrast, the pozzolanic activity of glass promotes gel formation, potentially offsetting the negative effects of the resin and offering a long-term performance enhancement.

Original language	English
Article number	113273
Number of pages	23
Journal	Composites. Part B: Engineering
Volume	311
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2025.113273
Publication status	Published - 15 Feb 2026

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no. 101096437. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible. This work was also supported by Aase og Ejnar Danielsens Fond under grant agreement no. 24-30-0101. During the preparation of this work, the authors used Gemini in order to improve readability, grammar, and language. After using this tool/service, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and took full responsibility for the content of the publication. This work was supported by the European Union 's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no. 101096437. Funded by the European Union . Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible. This work was also supported by Aase og Ejnar Danielsens Fond under grant agreement no. 24-30-0101 .

Keywords

Alkali dissolution
Hydration process
NMR
Wind turbine blade waste
XCT

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title = "Effect of wind turbine blade waste on cement hydration and gel structure: Competitive interaction of glass and polyester resin",

abstract = "With the rapid expansion of wind energy infrastructure, managing wind turbine blade waste (WTBW) has become an increasing environmental concern. This study explores the potential use of WTBW as a partial cement replacement to understand its influence on the reaction process, reaction products, and gel structure of cementitious composites. The alkali dissolution behavior of WTBW was investigated under different pH conditions, while isothermal calorimetry was used to monitor early hydration. The gel structure was characterized using 29Si and 27Al Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and the resulting pore morphology and microstructure was visualized using X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT). Results revealed a critical competing mechanism between the glass and resin components of waste. At 5 wt\% replacement, the glass content contributed to the release of Si(OH)4 and Al(OH)4– species, promoting a more complex and extended C–(A)–S–H gel network and improved pore structure. However, the polyester resin in WTBW hindered early hydration beyond 5 wt\% by consuming hydroxide ions, reducing pore solution pH, and releasing inhibitory glycol and carboxylate salts. In contrast, the pozzolanic activity of glass promotes gel formation, potentially offsetting the negative effects of the resin and offering a long-term performance enhancement.",

keywords = "Alkali dissolution, Hydration process, NMR, Wind turbine blade waste, XCT",

author = "Tao Liu and Ceren Duyal-Kulak and Charilaos Paraskevoulakos and Kasper Enemark-Rasmussen and Ashal Tyurkay and Nataliya Lushnikova and Florent Gauvin and Lima, \{Ana Teresa\}",

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AU - Liu, Tao

AU - Duyal-Kulak, Ceren

AU - Paraskevoulakos, Charilaos

AU - Enemark-Rasmussen, Kasper

AU - Tyurkay, Ashal

AU - Lushnikova, Nataliya

AU - Gauvin, Florent

AU - Lima, Ana Teresa

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N2 - With the rapid expansion of wind energy infrastructure, managing wind turbine blade waste (WTBW) has become an increasing environmental concern. This study explores the potential use of WTBW as a partial cement replacement to understand its influence on the reaction process, reaction products, and gel structure of cementitious composites. The alkali dissolution behavior of WTBW was investigated under different pH conditions, while isothermal calorimetry was used to monitor early hydration. The gel structure was characterized using 29Si and 27Al Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and the resulting pore morphology and microstructure was visualized using X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT). Results revealed a critical competing mechanism between the glass and resin components of waste. At 5 wt% replacement, the glass content contributed to the release of Si(OH)4 and Al(OH)4– species, promoting a more complex and extended C–(A)–S–H gel network and improved pore structure. However, the polyester resin in WTBW hindered early hydration beyond 5 wt% by consuming hydroxide ions, reducing pore solution pH, and releasing inhibitory glycol and carboxylate salts. In contrast, the pozzolanic activity of glass promotes gel formation, potentially offsetting the negative effects of the resin and offering a long-term performance enhancement.

AB - With the rapid expansion of wind energy infrastructure, managing wind turbine blade waste (WTBW) has become an increasing environmental concern. This study explores the potential use of WTBW as a partial cement replacement to understand its influence on the reaction process, reaction products, and gel structure of cementitious composites. The alkali dissolution behavior of WTBW was investigated under different pH conditions, while isothermal calorimetry was used to monitor early hydration. The gel structure was characterized using 29Si and 27Al Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and the resulting pore morphology and microstructure was visualized using X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT). Results revealed a critical competing mechanism between the glass and resin components of waste. At 5 wt% replacement, the glass content contributed to the release of Si(OH)4 and Al(OH)4– species, promoting a more complex and extended C–(A)–S–H gel network and improved pore structure. However, the polyester resin in WTBW hindered early hydration beyond 5 wt% by consuming hydroxide ions, reducing pore solution pH, and releasing inhibitory glycol and carboxylate salts. In contrast, the pozzolanic activity of glass promotes gel formation, potentially offsetting the negative effects of the resin and offering a long-term performance enhancement.

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Effect of wind turbine blade waste on cement hydration and gel structure: Competitive interaction of glass and polyester resin

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