Iowa plant turns retired wind turbine blades into fibres and powders for roads

Regen Fiber has opened a wind turbine blade recycling facility in Fairfax, Iowa, using an all-mechanical process that avoids heat and chemicals. The plant shreds old blades into fibres and additives for use in concrete, mortar and asphalt. It expects to process more than 30,000 tons of blades each year.

The government has declared that the wind turbines must be located twice as far away from homes as the distance to their blade tips.