Effect of particles from wind turbine blades erosion on blue mussels Mytilus edulis 

Highlights

• First controlled lab experiment to study biological effects of LEE particles
• Application of an innovative analytical toolbox for effect assessment
• Enrichment factors for metals and metalloids determined in M. edulis ranged between 0.93 and 6.1
• Metabolite investigation of the mussels’ entire soft body tissue revealed only weak MP-induced changes

Abstract

Offshore wind farms (OWFs) pose new anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment as the erosion of turbine blades release organic and inorganic substances with potential consequences for marine life. In the present study, possible effects of the released particles and their chemical constituents on the metabolic profile of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, were investigated, utilizing 1H NMR spectroscopy. In the lab, mussels were exposed for 7 and 14 days to different concentrations (10 and 40 mg L⁻¹) of microplastic (MP) particles which were derived from cryo-milled rotor blade coatings and core materials (glass fiber polymer, GFP). Raman imaging techniques revealed that 30–40 % of the coating and GFP particles had MP sizes below 5 μm, with the majority (∼98 %) being ≤50 μm. Despite the identified enrichment factors (EF) for metals and metalloids from the rotor blade materials, especially Ba, Cu, Cd, Cr and Ni with EFs between 0.93 and 6.1, untargeted metabolic profiling of the entire soft body tissues of M. edulis showed no significant metabolic disruption, regardless of the particle concentration. Observed trends in elevated concentrations of metabolites may indicate a possible short-term effect on mussels’ neuroendocrine system and a possible long-term effect on energy metabolism. Experimental worst-case scenario of massive abrasion and the minimal response observed in M. edulis under the conditions tested suggest that erosion caused by wind turbine blades may pose little to no risk to bivalves at this stage. However, it is important to note that this study is only a preliminary step and further studies are needed to obtain a comprehensive overview of the issue before reaching a definite firm conclusion regarding the potential threat of OWFs abrasion to the marine environment, particularly considering the planned future extension of windpark construction in connection with the ongoing EU-wide energy transition.

Graphical abstract

Daria Bedulina, Špela Korez Lupše, Christian Bock, Gisela Lannig, Department of Integrative Ecophysiology, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Lars Hildebrandt, Ole Klein, Daniel Pröfrock, Department of Inorganic Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre Hereon, Geesthacht, Germany
Sebastian Primpke, Yaqing Duan, Gunnar Gerdts, Department of Rotor Blades, Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems, Bremerhaven, Germany
Stefan Krause, Steffen Czichon, Department of Shelf Sea System Ecology, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helgoland, Germany

Science of The Total Environment
Volume 957, 20 December 2024, 177509
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177509

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