The development of more sustainable materials for the construction
sector begins with optimal use of natural resources and appropriately recycling
the residues produced at the end of the lifecycle of infrastructures. In the coming
years, many wind-farms will be dismantled, providing big amounts of waste windturbine blade (WWTB). This waste can be an opportunity to decarbonize the
construction industry, which causes huge green-house-gas emissions each year
endangering the environment.
Waste generated during the demolition of concrete elements has been used in
the past few years for structural concrete manufacturing in the form of Recycled
Concrete Aggregate (RCA). Feasibility of combination of RCA with WWTB has
yet to be study in concrete mixtures.
This study aims to analyze the simultaneous use of RCA and WWTB to
produce a greener concrete mixture as an effort to transform an industry hitherto
considered polluting into a more sustainable one. For this purpose, three concrete
mixtures were produced with different volume combinations of each waste: 0%
WWTB and 0% RCA; 5% WWTB and 50% RCA; and 10% WWTB and 100%
RCA. Compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and Poisson´s coefficient have
all been evaluated at 28 days. Results show that an adequate dosage of both types of
residues can result in a structural concrete mixture that preserves basic compressive
strength properties while at the same time providing an outlet for a large amount
of waste generated in both construction and wind energy sector.
