Peer-Reviewed Journal Details
Mandatory Fields
Deeney, P., Nagle., A., Gough. F., Lemmertz, H., Delany. E., McKinley. J., Graham. C., Leahy. P., Dunphy. N., and Mullally. G.
2021
August
Resources, Conservation and Recycling
End-of-Life alternatives for wind turbine blades: Sustainability Indices based on the UN sustainable development goals
Published
WOS: 8 ()
Optional Fields
Composite recycling Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) Delphi study Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Geographic Information Science (GIS)
171
105642
The background to this research is that across the world there will be 200,000 tonnes of wind turbine blade waste to be disposed of each year from 2033. The purpose of the research is to compare the relative sustainability of alternative ways to deal with this waste, these being: landfill, incineration with heat recovery, co-processing in cement kilns, making furniture and bridge fabrication. The method is to use the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to select 11 metrics for sustainability. The use of the SDGs adds to the objectivity of this process overcoming one of the principal weaknesses of Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Quantitative information methods from Life Cycle Assessment, Geographic Information Science, census data and real options analysis of R&D, alongside qualitative information from Delphi studies and Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats analysis are combined in the assessment. Three MCDA methods are used, each calculates economic, social and environmental sustainability indices for the end-of-life alternatives which are then combined into integrated sustainability indices. A novel Delphi stopping condition based on consensus, consistency and convergence is used. The primary result is that bridge fabrication is the most sustainable alternative with furniture making in second place. Co-processing, incineration with heat recovery and landfill are progressively less sustainable alternatives. This result is robust to substantial changes in the selection of experts’ opinions, the weights for MCDA and the values of the metrics. These findings offer researchers and policymakers a robust decision making process, applicable to situations where choices are made on sustainability criteria.
0921-3449
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344921002512
10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105642
Grant Details