IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i10p4726-d1660746.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Geotechnical Properties of Carbonate Sands on the Coast of Ceará: Implications for Offshore Wind Foundations and Green Hydrogen Initiatives

Author

Listed:
  • Matheus Vasconcelos do Nascimento

    (Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (DEHA), Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, Brazil)

  • Victor Luiz da Silva Alves

    (Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (DEHA), Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, Brazil)

  • Samuel Porfírio Pinheiro Barros

    (Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (DEHA), Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, Brazil)

  • Rachel Guerreiro Basílio Costa Genzani

    (Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello Research Center (CENPES), Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro 21941-598, Brazil)

  • Claver Giovanni da Silveira Pinheiro

    (Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems Associated Laboratory (ARISE), Department of Civil Engineering, Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), University of Minho, 4800-073 Guimarães, Portugal)

  • Alfran Sampaio Moura

    (Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (DEHA), Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza 60400-900, Brazil)

Abstract

The coastal region of Ceará, Brazil, is expected to host offshore wind farms aimed at producing green hydrogen (GH 2 ) through electrolysis. However, the viability and cost of these developments may be affected by the mechanical behaviour of the marine subsoil, which is largely composed of carbonate sands. These sediments are known for their complex and variable geotechnical properties, which can influence the foundation performance. This study investigates the geotechnical characteristics of carbonate sands in comparison with quartz sands to support the design of offshore wind turbine foundations. Field testing using the Ménard pressuremeter and laboratory analyses, including particle size distribution, microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, calcimetry, direct shear, and triaxial testing, were performed to determine the key strength and stiffness parameters. The results show substantial differences between carbonate and quartz sands, particularly in terms of the stiffness and friction angle, with notable variability even within the same material type. These findings highlight the need for site-specific characterisation in offshore foundation design. This study contributes data that can improve geotechnical risk assessments and assist in selecting appropriate foundation solutions under local conditions, supporting the planned offshore wind energy infrastructure essential to Ceará’s green hydrogen strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Matheus Vasconcelos do Nascimento & Victor Luiz da Silva Alves & Samuel Porfírio Pinheiro Barros & Rachel Guerreiro Basílio Costa Genzani & Claver Giovanni da Silveira Pinheiro & Alfran Sampaio Moura, 2025. "Geotechnical Properties of Carbonate Sands on the Coast of Ceará: Implications for Offshore Wind Foundations and Green Hydrogen Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-24, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4726-:d:1660746
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4726/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4726/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lima, Danielle K.S. & Leão, Ruth P.S. & dos Santos, Antônio C.S. & de Melo, Francisca D.C. & Couto, Vinícius M. & de Noronha, Aurélio W.T. & Oliveira, Demercil S., 2015. "Estimating the offshore wind resources of the State of Ceará in Brazil," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 203-221.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Herrera, Milton M. & Dyner, Isaac & Cosenz, Federico, 2020. "Benefits from energy policy synchronisation of Brazil’s North-Northeast interconnection," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 427-437.
    2. Herrera, Milton M. & Dyner, Isaac & Cosenz, Federico, 2019. "Assessing the effect of transmission constraints on wind power expansion in northeast Brazil," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-1.
    3. Rasool, Safdar & Muttaqi, Kashem M. & Sutanto, Danny & Hemer, Mark, 2022. "Quantifying the reduction in power variability of co-located offshore wind-wave farms," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 1018-1033.
    4. Chen, Xinping & Foley, Aoife & Zhang, Zenghai & Wang, Kaimin & O'Driscoll, Kieran, 2020. "An assessment of wind energy potential in the Beibu Gulf considering the energy demands of the Beibu Gulf Economic Rim," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    5. Perini de Souza, Noele Bissoli & Sperandio Nascimento, Erick Giovani & Bandeira Santos, Alex Alisson & Moreira, Davidson Martins, 2022. "Wind mapping using the mesoscale WRF model in a tropical region of Brazil," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    6. de Assis Tavares, Luiz Filipe & Shadman, Milad & de Freitas Assad, Luiz Paulo & Silva, Corbiniano & Landau, Luiz & Estefen, Segen F., 2020. "Assessment of the offshore wind technical potential for the Brazilian Southeast and South regions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4726-:d:1660746. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.