Des Moines project utilizes recycled wind turbine blades

Graham Construction, a 3G Company based in Des Moines, Iowa, has secured its worksite at Mercy College of Health Sciences with Renewablade commercial concrete barriers, which are manufactured using recycled composite material from retired wind turbine blades. 

A total of 28 barriers were installed for the project. Renewablade, a Bondurant, Iowa-based company that provides solutions for decommissioned turbine blades, incorporated recycled composite equal to one wind turbine blade into the precast barrier systems. 

Renewablade says wind turbine blades have historically been difficult to recycle. The company’s commercial barriers and retaining-wall blocks are designed to support waste diversion by repurposing end-of-life wind turbine blade material that might otherwise be landfilled. 

“Projects like this show that jobsite safety and sustainability can go hand-in-hand,” says Mike Berry, Graham Construction field operations leader. “These Renewablade barriers provide a safe working area for teams on site—next to a very active street on Mercy College's downtown campus—while also helping repurpose a hard-to-recycle wind turbine blade into durable infrastructure made for everyday use.” 

Renewablade says the Mercy College installation marks its second major project in the downtown Des Moines area. Earlier this year, Premier Credit Union completed a retaining wall built with Renewablade hybrid concrete retaining-wall blocks, using material equal to three retired wind turbine blades. 

The company says this project benefits waste diversion by keeping large composite blade materials out of landfills and supports circular construction by giving retired renewable energy materials a second life in infrastructure.