Recycling Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades for Post-Disaster Housing Applications
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- Recycling the decommissioned wind turbine blades: Recycling wind turbine blades presents several challenges and complexities such as difficulties in recycling fiber-reinforced composites due to their complex composition. Moreover, recycling wind turbine blades involves technical and economic difficulties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to address these issues in line with sustainable energy production and environmental protection goals.
- Building resilient and economical post-disaster houses: Due to the high strength and light weight of the wind turbine blades, durable and cost-effective post-disaster housing strategies can be developed. Therefore, this study also aimed to build resilient and cost-effective post disaster housing applications. Besides the post-earthquake housing example in this study, these houses are also vulnerable to severe hurricanes and flooding.
- Decreasing energy consumption: Building relief camps from wind turbine blades can save energy since the wind turbine blades are made from durable, lightweight composite materials, and these materials provide extra insulation to the houses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the energy saving potential of houses that are fully made from decommissioned wind turbine blades.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Case Zone: Hatay Relief Camp
2.2. Energy Analysis of the Camp
2.3. Wind Turbine Blade-Based Housing (WTB-bH)
- Safety process: The decommissioned blade was taken from the area via crane. The area around the blade was secured to prevent unauthorized access.
- Preparation process: The engineers evaluated the blade’s material composition (usually composite materials like fiberglass or carbon fiber, like in this study) and determined the best cutting approach. Additionally, the engineers developed a detailed cutting plan that specifies the cutting locations and the sequence of cuts.
- Cutting process: Engineers used diamond-coated blades for cutting, which were effective at cutting through fiberglass and carbon fiber without causing excessive heat or damage. At the same time, water jet cutters were used with high-pressure water jets.
- Handling process: After cutting, engineers carefully removed and transported the blade sections. These sections are often large and heavy, requiring cranes or other heavy machinery for safe handling.
- Bonding the cut sections: Engineers carefully aligned the two blade sections to ensure they matched perfectly. They used a high-strength adhesive, such as epoxy resins, that is compatible with the blade’s composite materials.
2.4. Economic Analysis of WTB-bH
- Project management costs;
- Labor costs;
- Cost of disassembly and reassembly for house construction;
- Cost of adhesive materials;
- Cost of cutting the blades;
- Transportation costs;
- VAT.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Comparison of Energy Consumptions
3.2. Comparison of the Cost
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Thickness (m) | U Value (W/m2K) | |
---|---|---|
Walls | ||
Steel and Aluminum Mixture | 0.04 | 0.46 |
Roof | ||
Steel and Aluminum Mixture | 0.10 | 0.26 |
Ground | ||
Steel and Aluminum Mixture | 0.20 | 1.24 |
Model Code: E44-900 | |
---|---|
Rated Power | 0.9 MW |
Cut-in wind speed | 3 m/s |
Rated wind speed | 16.5 m/s |
Cut-out wind speed | 34 m/s |
Survival wind speed | 59.5 m/s |
Rotor diameter | 44 m |
Swept area | 1.52 m2 |
Number of blades | 3 |
Power density | 591.7 W/m2 |
Tip speed | 78 m/s |
Component Name | Layers | Average Thicknesses (m) | Thermal Conductivity (W/mK) | U Value (W/m2K) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wall | Composite material mixture (GFK) | 0.18 | 0.04 | |
Air gap | 0.17 | 0.02 | ||
Composite material mixture (GFK) | 0.18 | 0.04 | ||
0.021 | ||||
Roof | Composite material mixture (GFK) | 0.18 | 0.04 | |
Air gap | 0.17 | 0.02 | ||
Composite material mixture (GFK) | 0.18 | 0.04 | ||
0.021 | ||||
Ground | Carpet/textile flooring | 0.015 | 0.06 | |
Composite material mixture (GFK) | 0.18 | 0.04 | ||
0.22 |
Total Energy Consumption (kWh) * | |
---|---|
Traditional Container | 217,690.2 (345.54 kWh/m2) |
WTB-bH | 158,256 (251.2 kWh/m2) |
Costs (USD) * | |
---|---|
Traditional Container | 370,261.53 |
WTB-bH | 444,318.21 |
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Turhan, C.; Durak, M.; Saleh, Y.A.S.; Kalaycı, A. Recycling Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades for Post-Disaster Housing Applications. Recycling 2025, 10, 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling10020042
Turhan C, Durak M, Saleh YAS, Kalaycı A. Recycling Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades for Post-Disaster Housing Applications. Recycling. 2025; 10(2):42. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling10020042
Chicago/Turabian StyleTurhan, Cihan, Murat Durak, Yousif Abed Saleh Saleh, and Alper Kalaycı. 2025. "Recycling Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades for Post-Disaster Housing Applications" Recycling 10, no. 2: 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling10020042
APA StyleTurhan, C., Durak, M., Saleh, Y. A. S., & Kalaycı, A. (2025). Recycling Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades for Post-Disaster Housing Applications. Recycling, 10(2), 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling10020042