Integration of circular economy strategy as an innovative approach to waste management, within the oil and gas construction projects

Abstract

Waste management within oil and gas construction projects is confronted with significant challenges due to the industry's complex and large-scale nature, that necessitating a nuanced exploration. The sector's complexities, characterized by extensive excavation, drilling, and construction undertakings, contribute to a substantial volume of waste generation. Notably, the presence of hazardous materials further amplifies the intricacies associated with waste handling and disposal within this industry. The regulatory landscape adds another layer of complexity, with stringent environmental standards imposing specific criteria for waste treatment and disposal. Moreover, logistical challenges stemming from remote project locations and challenging terrains underscore the need for meticulous planning and resource allocation in waste transportation and disposal. Current linear project delivery methods deployed in the oil and gas sector predominantly embrace end-of-pipe solutions. These linear approaches contribute to a heavy reliance on new materials, overlooking opportunities for reusing construction materials or incorporating sustainable design principles. The lack of integration across project stages hampers the adoption of circular economy practices, constraining the industry's ability to shift towards more sustainable and environmentally conscious waste management strategies. Traditional approaches, including waste sorting, recycling, and landfill disposal, persist despite efforts to minimize environmental impact. To provide a contextual background, validate and enhance the research, an assessment of the existing literature on sustainable construction, waste management strategies was conducted. 15 preliminary interviews were performed with oil and gas construction project clients, architects, and contractors in order to identify the construction waste generation challenges related to oil and gas construction projects. The findings revealed that oil and gas construction projects generate significantly more waste than other building projects throughout the project lifecycle, identified complex features that influence waste generation, and identified specific causes of construction waste in oil and gas construction projects. Similarly, the study discovered various characteristics that shed insight on the existing practice of the waste management strategy. A deeper investigation was conducted based on multiple case studies, direct observation, and project documentation analysis to understand the impact of waste generation due to waste causes, the relationship between complex features in oil and gas construction projects and waste causes, and best waste minimisation practices to be implemented throughout the oil and gas construction projects lifecycle to address construction waste causes. During the data gathering stage, 65 interviews with stakeholders from various case studies were conducted. The Circular Economy Process Model was then developed based on the findings of the literature review, the preliminary interview analysis, and the multiple case studies, project documentation, direct observation, which integrates circular economy principles into the project delivery / management process. This model is designed to enable the application of the circular economy concept from the beginning to the end of a construction project and throughout its lifecycle. The process model was evaluated by 11 industry experts by adopting semi – structured interview to assess its feasibility, functionality, coverage and practicality. The feedback received from the evaluation demonstrated that the process model is effective in promoting certain aspects of sustainable principles such as designing for zero waste and encouraging the reuse of project materials and components. Additionally, the evaluation revealed numerous benefits and potentials of the process model. In this study, it has been determined that the integration of circular economy principles into the construction project delivery process can facilitate the reuse of project components and promote a zero-waste, sustainable environment. The practical outcome of this research is a process model that can be implemented at all stages of the project management process, enabling the construction industry to incorporate circular economy principles into their activities. The implementation of this process model is expected to have a positive impact on the construction industry, as it offers a solution to reduce the environmental impact of construction activities.