The Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization Framework: A Case Study of Wind Blade Circularity in Texas

Abstract

Moving the current linear economy toward circularity is expected to have environmental, economic, and social impacts. Various modeling methods, including economic input-output modeling, life cycle assessment, agent-based modeling, and system dynamics, have been used to examine circular supply chains and analyze their impacts. This work describes the newly developed Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization (CELAVI) framework, which is designed to model how the impacts of supply chains might change as circularity increases. We first establish the framework with a discussion of modeling capabilities that are needed to capture circularity transitions; these capabilities are based on the fact that supply chains moving toward circularity are dynamic and therefore not at steady state, may encompass multiple industrial sectors or other interdependent supply chains and occupy a large spatial area. To demonstrate the capabilities of CELAVI, we present a case study on end-of-life wind turbine blades in the U.S. state of Texas. Our findings show that depending on exact process costs and transportation distances, mechanical recycling could lead to 69% or more of end-of-life turbine blade mass being kept in circulation rather than being landfilled, with only a 7.1% increase in global warming potential over the linear supply chain. We discuss next steps for framework development.

Regional representation of wind stakeholders’ end-of-life behaviors and their impact on wind blade circularity

“…Transportation costs and logistical barriers are likely to constrain the diversion of EOL wind blades from landfills (Cooperman et al, 2021;Hanes et al, 2021). The Electric Power Research Institute evaluated transportation costs to be about $0.20/metric ton-mile for a 10-ton load of blade materials (EPRI, 2020), whereas James and Goodrich's (EPRI, 2020; James and Goodrich, 2013) estimation is $14-$22/mile or ll OPEN ACCESS iScience 25, 104734, August 19, 2022 $3.7-$4.4/metric ton-mile for 40-45-meter blades.…”

“…The developed ABM assesses the mass of EOL wind blades that avoids being landfilled and the costs and revenues associated with the different design and EOL options. In addition to the behavioral dynamics captured with the TPB, the ABM accounts for technological development dynamics, such as the increase in wind turbines' rated capacity (NREL, 2021) and the learning effect (i.e., the decrease in recycling costs with increasing recycled volumes due to factors such as economies of scale) that are likely to occur in future wind blade recycling (Hanes et al, 2021). The ABM is also spatially resolved whenever possible (e.g., using the wind turbine coordinates contained in the US Wind Turbine Database [USWTDB]).…”

“…Thus, it is critical to understand how wind power industry stakeholders' behavioral decisions will affect wind blades' circularity (Walzberg et al, 2021a(Walzberg et al, , 2021b). Several regional and behavioral factors, such as the regulatory context, current practices, and logistical constraints (other than those reflected in transportation costs) could affect wind blade circularity (Hanes et al, 2021). Transportation costs, various transportation regulations, and remaining landfill capacities across the US further complicate the problem.…”

“…It is therefore relevant to incorporate behavioral factors and include regional particularities in CE studies of wind blades. However, current studies of wind blade circularity usually do not account for stakeholders' behaviors (Cooperman et al, 2021;Hanes et al, 2021;Jensen, 2019;Jensen and Skelton, 2018;Nagle et al, 2020) and their regional specificities, which may compromise the design of effective policies. The circular economy wind agent-based model (CE wind ABM, (Walzberg et al, 2021c)) presented in this study bridges the gap in the literature identified above by representing wind stakeholders' heterogeneity and behavioral factors affecting circularity.…”

Toward the circular economy into the olive oil supply chain: A case study analysis of a vertically integrated firm

“…Moving toward circularity is expected to have positive environmental and economic impacts, but this is not guaranteed to do so. For example, Hanes et al (2021) demonstrated that a specific recycling solution is an economically feasible option, but it requires high energy consumption which results in a 7.1% increase in global warming.…”