Recycling Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades for Post-Disaster Housing Applications

Abstract

The growing adoption of wind energy has resulted in an increasing number of decommissioned wind turbine blades, which pose significant disposal challenges due to their size, material composition, and environmental impact. Recycling these blades has thus become essential. To this aim, this study explores the potential of using recycled wind turbine blades in post-disaster housing applications and examines the feasibility of re-purposing these durable composite materials to create robust, cost-effective, and sustainable building solutions for emergency housing. A case study of a post-earthquake relief camp in Hatay, T & uuml;rkiye, affected by the 2023 earthquake, is used for analysis. First, the energy consumption of thirty traditional modular container-based post-disaster housing units is simulated with a dynamic building simulation tool. Then, the study introduces novel wind turbine blade-based housing (WTB-bH) designs developed using the same simulation tool. The energy consumption of these (WTB-bH) units is compared to that of traditional containers. The results indicate that using recycled wind turbine blades for housing not only contributes to waste reduction but also achieves 27.3% energy savings compared to conventional methods. The novelty of this study is in demonstrating the potential of recycled wind turbine blades to offer durable and resilient housing solutions in post-disaster situations and to advocate for integrating this recycling method into disaster recovery frameworks, highlighting its ability to enhance sustainability and resource efficiency in construction. Overall, the output of this study may help to present a compelling case for the innovative reuse of decommissioned wind turbine blades, providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional waste disposal methods while addressing critical needs in post-disaster scenarios.