Carbon Rivers recycles 100 tonnes of old wind turbine blades into glass fibre for cars, boats and construction

Carbon Rivers, a Tennessee company, is using pyrolysis to recycle old wind turbine blades instead of sending them to landfill. The process applies high heat without oxygen to break down the composite resin, leaving behind glass fibre that can be cleaned and reused. The company says the recovered material reaches 99.9% purity and can go into automotive parts, construction materials, boats, textiles, and 3D printing filament. Supported by the US Department of Energy and the University of Tennessee, Carbon Rivers had already upcycled more than 100 tons of blades by 2022 and has been working toward a larger facility. The DOE estimates 85-90% of a turbine's mass is commercially recyclable today, with blades among the hardest components. Better blade designs and easier-to-recycle materials are also part of the longer term solution.