The global transition to clean energy and sustainable development faces a pressing paradox: while renewable technologies such as wind energy reduce carbon emissions, their lifecycle can result in unintended environmental and social costs. A striking example is the growing problem of decommissioned wind turbine blades that threaten ecosystems, waste systems and communities. In his guest lecture, Prof Kim Meow Liew (City University of Hong Kong) will discuss interdisciplinary STEM strategies to turn such challenges into opportunities, with a focus on upcycling disused turbine blades into high-quality construction materials.

Background

Prof Kim Meow Liew has made groundbreaking discoveries of physical phenomena in various materials. His research has contributed to the fundamental understanding of the fracture behaviour of solids, which is also of great importance for the design of technical components and the development of new materials. His research group also investigates the development of fireproof building materials or the recycling possibilities of building materials such as decommissioned wind turbines.

In 2024, the Carl Zeiss-Humboldt Research Prize for experts in mechanics and sustainable engineering sciences, endowed with 100,000 euros, went to Prof Dr Kim Meow Liew from the City University of Hong Kong. He was nominated by the Bauhaus University Weimar. During his research stay at the Institute of Structural Mechanics (ISM) in the summer of 2024, Liew worked on the development of innovative self-healing materials for use in transport infrastructure, among other things. For example, concrete can self-seal cracks under certain mechanical or chemical-physical conditions. This extends the durability of the material and reduces renovation costs.

The lecture is part of the Carl-Zeiss-Humboldt Research Prize. All interested parties are cordially invited. The lecture language is English.  Further information can be found here:
>>PDF for download