{"id":18200,"date":"2026-08-30T11:54:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T11:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=18200"},"modified":"2026-08-30T11:54:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T11:54:36","slug":"wind-turbine-blades-are-built-to-survive-decades-and-are-difficult-to-recycle-an-iowa-plant-mechanically-shreds-them-into-fibres-and-powders-for-concrete-mortar-and-asphalt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=18200","title":{"rendered":"Wind turbine blades are built to survive decades and are difficult to recycle; an Iowa plant mechanically shreds them into fibres and powders for concrete, mortar and asphalt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133625963,imgsize-169160,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg\" alt=\"Wind turbine blades are built to survive decades and are difficult to recycle; an Iowa plant mechanically shreds them into fibres and powders for concrete, mortar and asphalt\" title=\"The recycling process begins with extracting reusable components from the blades.(Representational photo, Getty images)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"The recycling process begins with extracting reusable components from the blades.(Representational photo, Getty images)\">The recycling process begins with extracting reusable components from the blades.(Representational photo, Getty images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wind turbine blades can last for years, but what happens to them after they are no longer needed is a challenge. A facility in Fairfax, Iowa, USA, is now recycling old wind turbine blades and turning their materials into products that can be used in concrete, mortar and asphalt.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>Regen Fiber opened its production facility in Fairfax in 2024 and began production at the site. The company has developed an all-mechanical recycling process for wind turbine blades. According to Recycling Today, unlike processes that use heat or chemicals, this method relies on mechanical processing to break the blades down.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The recycled materials can be used in industrial applications, including the production of concrete, mortar and asphalt. <!-- -->The process is designed to recover materials from the blades and prepare them for use in construction projects, including projects linked to the energy industry.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>The facility is expected to process more than 30,000 tons of wind turbine blades each year when operating on a one-shift-per-day schedule.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>How blades are processed<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>The recycling process begins with extracting reusable components from the blades. The blades are then mechanically shredded. During this process, materials including fiberglass mesh and polyester resins are prepared for use in concrete and asphalt production. The company describes the method as an \u201call-mechanical recycling process\u201d that avoids using heat or chemicals.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>The shredded blade materials are converted into fibres and additives. These materials are intended for use by concrete and asphalt producers. According to the recyclers, its process recycles 100 per cent of the wind turbine blade.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>Jeff Woods, director of business development at Travero, which owns the company, said the recycled materials can also help improve the performance of concrete and asphalt.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Recycling of old wind turbine blades\" msid=\"133625834\" imgsize=\"140983\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"\u200bRegen Fiber\u2019s facility recycles old wind turbine blades into materials for concrete and asphalt.\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-140983,msid-133625834\/recycling-of-old-wind-turbine-blades.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u200bRegen Fiber\u2019s facility recycles old wind turbine blades into materials for concrete and asphalt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>\u201cOur process recycles 100 percent of the wind turbine blade, creating fibers and additives that enhance the durability and environmental resistance of concrete and asphalt,\u201d Woods said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>He added that the materials can improve the structural integrity of roads and buildings and make them more resilient.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>The process therefore gives the recovered blade materials another use instead of treating them simply as waste.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>30,000 tons of blades a year<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>The Fairfax facility is Rthe company&#8217;s main production site and is located at its headquarters. At full one-shift production, the facility is expected to process more than 30,000 tons of blades annually.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>The Fairfax facility is not the company\u2019s only operation connected to wind turbine blade recycling. <!-- -->There is also a facility in Des Moines, Iowa, that handles new turbine blade manufacturing scrap material.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>The company also operates a blade processing facility in Lubbock, Texas. That facility is located to handle end-of-life blades from the southwestern United States, an area with significant wind power activity.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>The different facilities handle different types of blade material. The Des Moines operation focuses on scrap generated during the manufacture of new turbine blades, while Fairfax and Lubbock are connected to the processing of end-of-life blades.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/us\/wind-turbine-blades-are-built-to-survive-decades-and-are-difficult-to-recycle-an-iowa-plant-mechanically-shreds-them-into-fibres-and-powders-for-concrete-mortar-and-asphalt\/articleshow\/133625543.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recycling process begins with extracting reusable components from the blades.(Representational photo, Getty images) Wind turbine blades can last for years, but what happens to them after they are no longer needed is a challenge. A facility in Fairfax, Iowa, USA, is now recycling old wind turbine blades and turning their materials into products that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The recycling process begins with extracting reusable components from the blades.(Representational photo, Getty images) Wind turbine blades can last for years, but what happens to them after they are no longer needed is a challenge. A facility in Fairfax, Iowa, USA, is now recycling old wind turbine blades and turning their materials into products that [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wind-turbines-near-palm-springs-california.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}