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Scientific Article details

Title Prospective material flow analysis of the end-of-life decommissioning: Case study of a North Sea offshore wind farm
ID_Doc 20243
Authors Demuytere, C; Vanderveken, I; Thomassen, G; León, MFG; Peña, LVD; Blommaert, C; Vermeir, J; Dewulf, J
Title Prospective material flow analysis of the end-of-life decommissioning: Case study of a North Sea offshore wind farm
Year 2024
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107283
Abstract Early offshore wind farms approach their decommissioning phase, yet a lack of precedents, potential legal bottlenecks, inadequate treatments and a lack of applicable circularity indicators, leave the sector unprepared, encompassing a risk of valuable materials loss. This paper presents a first-of-its-kind circularity analysis of the prospective decommissioning scenario of a North Sea wind farm, introducing and applying new circularity indicators. From the site-specific primary data, a bill of materials and material flow analysis was established, differentiating between secondary applications and end-of-life destinations. The main share (80 %) of the installed mass originated from scour protection, acting as hotspot to the 84 % of materials remaining in situ. The collected fraction recycling rate approaches 90 %. However, the substantial discrepancies between components and materials implicate a need for component or material-specific targets to avoid valuable material loss. Introducing such collection or recycling targets could encourage more circular decommissioning practices along the value chain.
Author Keywords Offshore wind energy; Material flow analysis; End-of-life; Recycling indicators; Circular economy; Waste management
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
EID WOS:001115607000001
WoS Category Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences
Research Area Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
PDF https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01HGDWASB92QA05DS787W48HRJ/file/01HQ343C77H98SREZ2DMEEZFWF.pdf
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