Preparation of High‐Strength, Multifunctional Wood‐Plastic Composites Using Recycled GFRP From Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades

ABSTRACT The thermosetting resin matrix utilized in wind turbine blades poses significant challenges to degradation. Conventional disposal methods, such as landfill and incineration, not only result in the wastage of valuable glass fiber resources but also contribute to environmental pollution. In this study, high‐performance polypropylene‐based wood‐plastic composites (WPC) were prepared by compression molding process poplar wood powder with polypropylene, incorporating residue powder from glass fiber‐reinforced polymer (GFRP), obtained during the performance laddering of decommissioned wind turbine blades, as reinforcement material, ultimately producing GFRP‐reinforced WPC (GFRP‐WPC). The incorporation of 15 wt% GFRP resulted in significant mechanical property enhancements compared to neat WPC, with remarkable increases of 71.87% in tensile strength, 38.85% in tensile modulus and 94.88% in impact strength, along with moderate improvements of 2.96% in flexural strength, 5.78% in flexural modulus, and 1.96% in hardness. Furthermore, compared to WPC, GFRP‐WPC shows significant improvements in hydrophobicity, flame retardancy and UV aging properties. The findings validated the technical feasibility of utilizing recycled GFRP from decommissioned blades for high‐performance WPC, providing a sustainable solution for wind turbine blade waste management.