A circular economy metric to determine sustainable resource use illustrated with neodymium for wind turbines

James Richard Sherwood; Gerardo Tun Gongora; Anne Velenturf

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134305

A circular economy metric to determine sustainable resource use illustrated with neodymium for wind turbines

James Richard Sherwood, Gerardo Tun Gongora, Anne Velenturf

Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The finite capacity of the Earth to provide the resources needed to make products is beginning to dictate policy decisions and citizen behaviours. Herein a methodology is proposed that considers the function (i.e., efficiency and durability) of a product as a way of normalising and hence justifying its resource use. Titled ‘Performance-weighted abiotic Resource Depletion’ (PwRD), this approach allows the resource use of different products to be directly compared, analogous to an absolute sustainability assessment. The PwRD metric quantifies concerns over the supply risk of elements and indicates reasonable actions to sustain a circular economy. This new format of circularity indicator is explained with the case study of neodymium for wind turbine magnets. Individual products as well as larger infrastructure projects such as wind farms can be assessed. It was found that the electrical energy produced by a wind turbine in the USA does not justify the quantity of neodymium required. Demand for the function of products is a variable in PwRD and is equally important as resource use in sustaining a circular economy. In regions of low electricity demand per capita such as the Philippines and Pakistan, the same quantity of neodymium as used in a wind turbine installed in the USA was found to be acceptable for sustaining a circular economy.

Original language	English
Article number	134305
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Cleaner Production
Early online date	24 Sept 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134305
Publication status	Published - 20 Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134305Licence: CC BY

1-s2.0-S095965262203877X-mainAccepted author manuscript, 1.8 MB
A circular economy metric to determine sustainable resource use illustrated with neodymium for wind turbines
© 2022 The Authors
Final published version, 2.83 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{9d4af017cce8414dba5afd35a78a771d,

title = "A circular economy metric to determine sustainable resource use illustrated with neodymium for wind turbines",

abstract = "The finite capacity of the Earth to provide the resources needed to make products is beginning to dictate policy decisions and citizen behaviours. Herein a methodology is proposed that considers the function (i.e., efficiency and durability) of a product as a way of normalising and hence justifying its resource use. Titled {\textquoteleft}Performance-weighted abiotic Resource Depletion{\textquoteright} (PwRD), this approach allows the resource use of different products to be directly compared, analogous to an absolute sustainability assessment. The PwRD metric quantifies concerns over the supply risk of elements and indicates reasonable actions to sustain a circular economy. This new format of circularity indicator is explained with the case study of neodymium for wind turbine magnets. Individual products as well as larger infrastructure projects such as wind farms can be assessed. It was found that the electrical energy produced by a wind turbine in the USA does not justify the quantity of neodymium required. Demand for the function of products is a variable in PwRD and is equally important as resource use in sustaining a circular economy. In regions of low electricity demand per capita such as the Philippines and Pakistan, the same quantity of neodymium as used in a wind turbine installed in the USA was found to be acceptable for sustaining a circular economy.",

author = "Sherwood, {James Richard} and {Tun Gongora}, Gerardo and Anne Velenturf",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors",

year = "2022",

month = nov,

day = "20",

doi = "10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134305",

language = "English",

journal = "Journal of Cleaner Production",

issn = "0959-6526",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A circular economy metric to determine sustainable resource use illustrated with neodymium for wind turbines

AU - Sherwood, James Richard

AU - Tun Gongora, Gerardo

AU - Velenturf, Anne

PY - 2022/11/20

Y1 - 2022/11/20

N2 - The finite capacity of the Earth to provide the resources needed to make products is beginning to dictate policy decisions and citizen behaviours. Herein a methodology is proposed that considers the function (i.e., efficiency and durability) of a product as a way of normalising and hence justifying its resource use. Titled ‘Performance-weighted abiotic Resource Depletion’ (PwRD), this approach allows the resource use of different products to be directly compared, analogous to an absolute sustainability assessment. The PwRD metric quantifies concerns over the supply risk of elements and indicates reasonable actions to sustain a circular economy. This new format of circularity indicator is explained with the case study of neodymium for wind turbine magnets. Individual products as well as larger infrastructure projects such as wind farms can be assessed. It was found that the electrical energy produced by a wind turbine in the USA does not justify the quantity of neodymium required. Demand for the function of products is a variable in PwRD and is equally important as resource use in sustaining a circular economy. In regions of low electricity demand per capita such as the Philippines and Pakistan, the same quantity of neodymium as used in a wind turbine installed in the USA was found to be acceptable for sustaining a circular economy.

AB - The finite capacity of the Earth to provide the resources needed to make products is beginning to dictate policy decisions and citizen behaviours. Herein a methodology is proposed that considers the function (i.e., efficiency and durability) of a product as a way of normalising and hence justifying its resource use. Titled ‘Performance-weighted abiotic Resource Depletion’ (PwRD), this approach allows the resource use of different products to be directly compared, analogous to an absolute sustainability assessment. The PwRD metric quantifies concerns over the supply risk of elements and indicates reasonable actions to sustain a circular economy. This new format of circularity indicator is explained with the case study of neodymium for wind turbine magnets. Individual products as well as larger infrastructure projects such as wind farms can be assessed. It was found that the electrical energy produced by a wind turbine in the USA does not justify the quantity of neodymium required. Demand for the function of products is a variable in PwRD and is equally important as resource use in sustaining a circular economy. In regions of low electricity demand per capita such as the Philippines and Pakistan, the same quantity of neodymium as used in a wind turbine installed in the USA was found to be acceptable for sustaining a circular economy.

U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134305

DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134305

M3 - Article

SN - 0959-6526

JO - Journal of Cleaner Production

JF - Journal of Cleaner Production

M1 - 134305

ER -