Tennessee firm recycles retired wind turbine blades into high-purity glass fibre for new products

As wind farms age, their massive composite blades have become a growing waste problem, with most of a turbine’s mass already recyclable except for the glass-fibre reinforced polymer. Carbon Rivers tackles this gap by employing pyrolysis, a high-temperature, oxygen-free technique that breaks down the resin while preserving the embedded glass fibres. The US Department of Energy reports the company reaches 99.9% fibre purity, a level suitable for replacing virgin glass in products such as non-woven mats, thermoplastic pellets, automotive sheet-moulding compounds and 3D-printing filament.

Federal support totals roughly $2.4 million from the Wind Energy Technologies Office and Small Business Technology Transfer programme, plus a later $1.1 million Phase III award, and research collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. By 2022 the firm had processed over 100 tons of blade material, and later reports indicate processing of a few thousand metric tons with plans for a larger plant near Kingston. The technology could broaden to other composite waste streams, potentially supplying recycled fibre to construction, automotive and marine industries and reducing landfill reliance.