Compromising economic cost and air pollutant emissions of municipal solid waste management strategies by fuzzy multiobjective optimization model

Abstract

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is an important environmental challenge and subject in urban planning. A sustainable MSWM strategy should consider not only economic efficiency but also life-cycle assessment of environmental impact. This study employs the fuzzy multiobjective linear programming (FMOLP) technique to find the optimal compromise between economic optimization and pollutant emission reduction for the MSWM strategy. Taichung City in Taiwan is evaluated as a case study. The results indicate that the optimal compromise MSWM strategy can reduce significant amounts of pollutant emissions and still achieve positive net profits. Minimization of the sulfur oxide (SO x ) and nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions are the two major priorities in achieving this optimal compromise strategy when recyclables recovery rate is lower; however, minimization of the carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) emissions become priority factors when recovery rate is higher.Implications: This paper applied the multiobjective optimization model to find the optimal compromise municipal solid waste management (MSWM) strategy, which minimizes both life-cycle operating cost and air pollutant emissions, and also to analyze the correlation between recyclables recovery rates and optimal compromise strategies. It is different from past studies, which only consider economic optimization or environmental impacts of the MSWM system. The result shows that optimal compromise MSWM strategy can achieve a net profit and reduce air pollution emission. In addition, scenario investigation of recyclables recovery rates indicates that resource recycling is beneficial for both economic optimization and air pollutant emission minimization.

Minimization of Resource Consumption and Carbon Footprint of a Circular Organic Waste Valorization System

“…The potential of systems engineering to establish a connection between resource and waste is recognized in the literature. − However, the studies that seek to optimize waste management systems only consider environmental criteria. − The novelty of this research is that the problem is also approached from the perspective of the minimization of the consumption of natural resources. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, waste management has never been analyzed from the viewpoint of a CIWMS that includes within its boundaries the upstream processes responsible for the delivery of waste and the transformation of the recovered waste components.…”

How is the performance of waste management systems assessed globally? A systematic review

“…The approach strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is used in three studies in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (Josimović et al, 2015), performance indicators (Federico et al, 2009) and LCA (Salhofer et al, 2007). Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) can be found eleven times in combination with other methods as for example cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) (Döberl et al, 2002;Weng and Fujiwara, 2011), LCA (Chang et al, 2012;Chang and Lin, 2013a;Nguyen Phuc Thanh and Matsui, 2012), GIS (Chang, N. and Lin, Y. T., 1997), MCDM (Abou Najm et al, 2002;Chang et al, 1996;Chang and Davila, 2007;Chang and Lin, 2013b) or as variation as in the study of Jamasb and Nepal (2010), who used social CBA.…”

Environmental Assessment of Waste Total Recycling Based on Principles of Logistics and Computer Simulation Design

“…Their arguments prove by mathematical modelling reviewing the system of waste treatment. Many authors in different parts of the world face similar challenges to the effective treatment of waste with the help of modelling and simulation [30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Data resulting from modelling and simulation is necessary to analyse and verify their veracity and relevance.…”