Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Recycling, cilt.10, sa.42, ss.1-17, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
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 repurposing
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, Türkiye, 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 postdisaster
scenarios.
Keywords: recycled wind turbine blades; energy consumption; sustainable construction;
post-disaster housing