Using MCDA and GIS for hazardous waste landfill siting considering land scarcity for waste disposal

Megacity solid waste disposal suitability mapping in Dhaka, Bangladesh: an integrated approach using remote sensing, GIS and statistics

Selecting suitable Megacity Solid Waste Disposal (MSWD) sites is a challenging task in densely populated deltas of developing countries, exacerbated by limited public awareness about waste management. One of the major environmental concerns in Dhaka City, the world's densest megacity, is the presence of dumps close to surface water bodies resources. This study employed the Geographic Information System (GIS)-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework to integrate geomorphological (slope and flow accumulation), geological (lithological and lineament), hydrogeological (depth to groundwater table and surface waterbody), socioeconomic (Land use land cover, distance to settlement, road, and airport), and climatological (wind direction) determinants, coupled by land-use and hydro-environmental analyses, to map optimal dumps (MSWDO) sites. The resulting preliminary (MSWDP) map revealed 15 potential landfill areas, covering approximately 5237 hectares (ha). Combining statistical analysis of restricted areas (settlements, water bodies, land use) with AHP-based ratings, the MSWDO map revealed two optimal locations (2285 ha). Additionally, the hydro-environmental analysis confirmed the unsuitability of northern sites due to shallow groundwater (< 5.43 m) and thin clay, leaving 11 options excluded. Sites 12 (Zone A, 2255 ha) and 15 (Zone B, 30 ha), with deeper groundwater tables and thicker clay layers, emerged as optimal choices for minimizing environmental risks and ensuring effective long-term waste disposal. This study successfully integrates remote sensing, geospatial data, and GIS-AHP modeling to facilitate the development of sustainable landfill strategies in similar South Asian delta megacities. Such an approach provides valuable insights for policymakers to implement cost-effective and sustainable waste management plans, potentially minimizing the environmental risks to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6, 11, 13, and 15.

The role of Geographic Information Systems in mitigating plastics pollution in the Global South-A spatial analysis of recycling facilities in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is at the forefront of environmental conservation in Central America, with its focus on sustainability and green practices. Building on this foundation, the country joins a cohort of middle-income developing countries that have set forth ambitious goals to eliminate plastic pollution and become plastics-free. Recycling remains one of the most effective ways of removing plastic waste from the environment. Although GIS has been utilized in environmental research, its use is still expanding in developing countries of the Global South. These countries are experiencing unprecedented adverse climate and ecological impacts while also pursuing fundamental socioeconomic growth. The application of more cost-effective and strategic technological solutions, as well as data-driven decision-making, could fast-track the achievement of their urgent environmental goals. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis, this study applies hot spot, location-allocation, and time-distance measures to examine Costa Rica's capacity to recycle plastic waste. Focusing specifically on availability and the public's access to recycling facilities, this article offers insights into the resource constraints and evolution of plastics governance in developing countries with environmentally-focused priorities. The findings of this study suggest that while Costa Rica is implementing progressive plastics regulatory policies, the ability to achieve plastics-free status is hampered by shortfalls in the number and distribution of recycling facilities and the public's access to recycling services. Expanding recycling infrastructure, including transportation, and adopting a less canton-centric waste administration system could contribute to resolving these challenges. This study contributes to discourses on global plastics governance and environmental change management in the Global South.

Decision-theoretic rough set model and spatial analysis-based waste-to-energy incineration plant site selection: a case study in first-tier cities of China

Selecting a sustainable waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration plant site is important for handling huge challenges created by on-going municipal solid waste. However, many studies with WTE incineration plant site problems fail to determine alternative evaluation criteria and cities beforehand, which may increase decision costs and evaluation risks. This paper proposes a novel methodology based on decision-theoretic rough set model and suitable analysis for selecting the optimal WTE incineration plant site. Firstly, from the features of cities, alternative evaluation criteria are determined by three-phase method. Considering different geographical features, a geographical index system is established. Secondly, subjective and objective criteria weights are determined by an improved DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) method and TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method-based linear programming model under the hesitant fuzzy linguistic context, respectively. Subjective and objective criteria weights are combined to form the final criteria weights by building an optimization model. Thirdly, the decision-theoretic rough set model is utilized to select alternative WTE incineration plant sites. We utilize spatial analysis adopting Geographic Information System technology to rank all alternative cities to build facilities. Finally, a numerical case is performed to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology. The sensitivity analysis with the parameter [Formula: see text] ranking from 0 to 1 is performed, the result confirms that the proposed methodology has better robustness. Compared with the multi-criteria decision-making methods, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed methodology are demonstrated.

Physico-Chemical Properties and Valorization of Biopolymers Derived from Food Processing Waste

The widespread use of synthetic plastics, as well as the waste produced at the end of their life cycle, poses serious environmental issues. In this context, bio-based plastics, i.e., natural polymers produced from renewable resources, represent a promising alternative to petroleum-based materials. One potential source of biopolymers is waste from the food industry, the use of which also provides a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to waste management. Thus, the aim of this work concerns the extraction of polysaccharide fractions from lemon, tomato and fennel waste. Characterizing the chemical-physical and thermodynamic properties of these polysaccharides is an essential step in evaluating their potential applications. Hence, the solubility of the extracted polysaccharides in different solvents, including water and organic solvents, was determined since it is an important parameter that determines their properties and applications. Also, acid-base titration was carried out, along with thermoanalytical tests through differential scanning calorimetry. Finally, the electrospinning of waste polysaccharides was investigated to explore the feasibility of obtaining polysaccharide-based membranes. Indeed, electrospun fibers are a promising structure/system via which it is possible to apply waste polysaccharides in packaging or well-being applications. Thanks to processing feasibility, it is possible to electrospin waste polysaccharides by combining them with different materials to obtain porous 3D membranes made of nanosized fibers.

Site suitability analysis for locating construction and demolition waste transfer station: an Indian case study

Construction and Demolition Waste Management (CDWM) includes collecting, transporting, processing, and disposing construction and demolition (C&D) waste, where collection and transportation of bulky and voluminous C&D waste contribute significantly to economic and environmental impacts. Transfer station (TS) being a link between various waste management (WM) facilities plays a significant role in collection and transportation of waste. Thus, locating TS at suitable site can help in reducing the overall impacts. Employment of Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis tools in CDWM is a powerful strategy for site suitability study. A case study in Coimbatore, India, is presented in this study using GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for locating C&D waste TS. The criteria for site suitability analysis are chosen based on literature review, regulations, and experts' opinions. Weights of the chosen criteria are estimated using analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and the final suitability map is created by weighted overlay analysis (WOA) in GIS environment. Results provide first-hand information for local decision makers to locate C&D waste transfer station in the chosen study region and report that 12% of the entire area is "highly suitable" for transfer station location.

Identification and selection of suitable landfill sites using GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis in the Peshawar District, Pakistan

Managing municipal solid waste (MSW) is indispensable for public health and quality living standards in urban and rural environments. Suitable landfill site selection (LSS) requires the consideration of many diverse criteria. This study uses various environmental, social and economic criteria in a sophisticated multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) within the geographical information system (GIS) and aims to provide a scientific basis for the identification of suitable landfill sites which can efficiently be used for MSW in one of the most urbanized cities (Peshawar district) in Pakistan. The methodology involves pairwise comparisons of the selected and ranked criteria using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). A weighted linear combination (WLC) was applied to generate the most suitable landfill site for MSW disposal within the study area. The results show that approximately 11.4% (14,485.15 ha) and 16.6% (21,211.95 ha) of the total study area are either very highly suitable or highly suitable, 20.8% (26,525.56 ha) area is unsuitable and the remaining areas are either low (27.3%; 34,834.84 ha) or moderately suitable (23.8%; 30,356.84 ha) for the construction of landfill sites. It is recommended that using the proposed landfill sites would have the least consequences of public health risks and environmental degradation.

Site Selection of Urban Parks Based on Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP): A Case Study of Nanjing, China

The scientific siting of urban parks is critical for sustainable urban environment development, and this study aimed to identify suitable areas for future urban parks in Nanjing, China. This study has integrated geographic information systems (GIS) and fuzzy hierarchical analysis (F-AHP) in order to evaluate the suitability of the site selection of urban parks in Nanjing, China. Different physical, natural, environmental, accessibility, and human activity factors were evaluated in order to assess the suitability of a park site. The results revealed that 5% were highly suitable for urban park site selection, 36% were more suitable, 32% were moderately suitable, 19% were less suitable, and 8% were unsuitable for urban park site selection. The findings suggest that the areas that are highly suitable for urban park placement are located in the western and eastern parts of Nanjing. Carbon storage was the most important factor in the suitability of urban park site selection, followed by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the heat-island effect. The methodology that has been adopted in this study helps to improve the methodological framework of combining F-AHP and GIS; in addition, generating urban park site selection maps assists planners and decision-makers in making scientific site selection decisions.

Efficiency Assessment of Hazardous Waste Disposal in EU Countries: A Three-Stage Super-Efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis Model

Hazardous waste pollutes the air, soil, and water and adversely affects human health if not disposed of safely. Analysis of the efficiency of hazardous waste disposal is essential to sustainable development. This paper uses the three-stage super-efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis model to measure the efficiency of 28 EU countries from 2004 to 2016. To ensure the reliability of the results, the article utilizes a one-way ANOVA statistical test to verify whether DEA results vary significantly across various EU countries. This article discusses "how inputs and outputs can be adjusted to eliminate inefficiencies" to suggest a targeted improvement. The third stage supper efficiency DEA results shows that the efficiency varies significantly across different EU countries. The main reasons for the low efficiency are high generated hazardous waste, management expenditure, greenhouse gas emissions, and inadequate waste disposal volume. Targeted proposals from three aspects are given for policymakers in EU countries: Build a resource recycling system to reduce hazardous waste. Establish a sound fee management system to reduce expenses. Optimization of disposal technology to improve incineration efficiency.

A Multi-Commodity Mathematical Modelling Approach—Hazardous Waste Treatment Infrastructure Planning in the Czech Republic

This paper presents an analysis of infrastructure for the processing of Czech hazardous waste and pays attention to predictions of waste management development in the upcoming years. For this purpose, a unique complex approach to modelling future waste management changes is applied. The method uses a multi-commodity network flow model with reverse flows between treatment facilities to consider complete waste management of hazardous waste. The future outlook (2030) for the forecasted generation of different types of hazardous waste in the Czech Republic requires decisions on waste treatment facility infrastructure. The uniqueness lies in using real data for such a wide scope of a task, further enhanced by concurrent analysis of more types of waste interconnected through limited processing capacities. The results indicate the insufficiency in hazardous waste thermal treatment and stabilization. A suggestion is to extend the incineration capacity because it influences the stabilization units, which must process the remaining waste. The recommended increase is 100% with different proportions in individual regions.

Reverse logistics research of municipal hazardous waste: a literature review

The reverse logistics of municipal hazardous waste (RLMHW) have received close attention from researchers and practitioners alike, given the essential impact of safe transportation and effective management of hazardous waste on public health and environmental sustainability. There are a great number of studies in the extant literature on RLMHW, with many and diverse research topics; however, a concise and complete overview of the research works already conducted in this particular area is conspicuous by its absence. This paper strives to fill the gap through the conduct of rigorous systematic literature review of RLMHW in the past three decades, and then establish a framework of studies on RLMHW. The main contributions of this study are as follows: (1) to identify the trend of journals publishing research papers on RLMHW; (2) to extract the main topics in studies on RLMHW; (3) to locate the most popular research areas of RLMHW; (4) to summarize the methods adopted in studies on RLMHW; (5) to identify research deficiencies in certain categories of RLMHW; and (6) to establish the future research directions of RLMHW. The main implications of the study are to offer a better understanding of RLMHW by systematic crystallization of archival data in a systematic chronological order across central issues. This study contributes to scholarly debate in this field by serving as a snapshot paper to document the development of the field and gives input to policymakers in process design and policy making in the domain of RLMHW.

Mixed-method approach incorporating Geographic information system (GIS) tools for optimizing collection costs and convenience of the biowaste separate collection

Nowadays, dealing with organic waste (or biowaste) remains a global phenomenon. Especially developing countries worldwide generate more than 50 percent organicwaste. In the European Union (EU) with a share of 34%, biowaste is a dominantfraction of the municipal waste (EEA, 2020). Therefore, separate collection at source and environmentally sound treatment of biowaste are of key importance. An intensive optimisation of biowaste separate collection is needed to balance demands of municipal representatives and households' needs. Based on the mixed-method approach we developed a MCDA model complemented by expert-based weighting assessment and combined with the GIS localisation tools aimed at the optimisation of biowaste container locations that reflects various spatial conditions, preconditions for the localisation of containers and its cost intensity. We concluded that changing the density of containers, distance between the address point and container, and selecting container locations that respect the habits of households and demands of the collection technology significantly affect the total and collection costs. We confirmed that the decreases in the total costs were not significant for maximum walking distances of over 95 m, and would approach zero for distances of over 230 m. When the maximum walking distance exceeds 268 m, 40% of all inhabitants would not participate in the system as it would be inconvenient for them. A recycling campaign is needed to increase their willingness to participate in the system. We provided arguments for decision-makers how to balance convenience of the biowaste separation system and collection costs by proper localisation of biowaste containers.

A critical review of decision support systems for brownfield redevelopment

Over the past two decades, many decision support systems (DSSs) have been developed to support decision makers and facilitate the planning and redevelopment process of brownfields. Existing systems are however often siloed in their approach and do not fully capture the complexity of brownfield sites from a sustainable development point of view. This critical review provides an insight into the development and implementation of DSSs, published and emerging, together with assessment of their strengths, limitations and opportunities for future integration. Brownfields DSS applications include: remediation technology selection; and land use planning; and risk assessment. The results of this review lead the authors to identify four opportunities to improve brownfield DSSs: (i) increased use of qualitative socioeconomic criteria, particularly costs and economic variables, (ii) decision-support during the early stages of brownfield redevelopment, (iii) the integration of predictive modelling methods, and (iv) improvements of user interfaces and modern web-based functionalities.

Dynamic evaluation method for planning sustainable landfills using GIS and multi-criteria in areas of urban sprawl with land-use conflicts

Landfill site selection is problematic in many countries, especially developing nations where there is rapid population growth, which leads to high levels of inadequate waste disposal. To find sustainable landfill sites in sprawling cities, this study presents an approach that combines geographic information system (GIS) with multi-criteria (social, environmental and, technical criteria) and the population growth projection. The greater Maputo area in Mozambique was selected as a representative city for the study, which is undergoing rapid urbanization. Six criteria, i.e., land use, transport networks, hydrology, conservation reserve, geology and slope, were considered and overlaid in the GIS using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The arithmetic projection of the population trend suggests that the greater Maputo area is experiencing a rapid and uncontrolled population growth, especially in Matola city. These pronounced changes in population then significantly change the landfill placement decision making. Dynamic and static scenarios were created, based on the analysis of multi-criteria and the areas likely to undergo future increased population growth. A comparative evaluation in a scenario of dynamic behavior considering future population showed that suitable areas for landfill sites have been drastically modified due to social and environmental factors affected by population distribution in some regions. The results indicate that some suitable areas can generate land use conflicts due to population growth with unplanned land use expansion. Finally, the western part of Matola city is recognized as the most recommendable landfill site, which can serve both Maputo and Matola city with affordable costs. This study provides an effective landfill placement decision making approach, which is possible to be applied anywhere, especially in developing countries to improve sustainable municipal solid waste management systems.

Understanding Hazardous Waste Exports for Disposal in Europe: A Contribution to Sustainable Development

The concept of sustainable development was introduced in Europe by the Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) and was extended to waste management in the Waste Framework Directive. In order to achieve sustainable development, hazardous waste (HW) must be managed safely and in accordance with regulations. This also applies to worldwide HW transport, especially when HW is shipped for disposal. The United Nations, through the Basel Convention, aims to prevent the export of HW from developed countries to developing countries for disposal. In Europe, HW shipments are regulated by Regulation (EC) No. 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and by the Council of 14 June 2006 on shipments of waste. Additionally, all HW shipments must be in accordance with two principles contained in the Waste Framework Directive: proximity and self-sufficiency. Using data from 2014 and network analysis methodology, this paper fills the gaps in the scientific literature by looking at how shipments of HW travel for disposal in Europe, how the regulations affect these shipments and how GDP per capita influences the shipment of waste. The results show that countries with a high GDP per capita play an important role in the network (having the highest in-degree) and that the absence of landfill taxes for HW does not influence HW shipments for disposal. Therefore, countries in the EU act in accordance with the proximity and self-sufficiency principles.

A comparison of fuzzy logic and TOPSIS methods for landfill site selection according to field visits, engineering geology approach and geotechnical experiments (case study: Rudbar County, Iran)

The present study evaluated and selected the best location among susceptible landfill sites in Rudbar County using 27 criteria, as the maximum effective criteria, in the decision-making process. The emergence and comparison between the two methods of fuzzy and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) with an engineering-geological approach have been conducted to obtain the best results. In this regard, inappropriate regions for landfill construction have been restricted after the conflation of two maps based on the restriction criteria. Then, the direction of prevailing winds and proper area for landfill construction was investigated for a 20-year perspective, and the regions that had more than 35-hectare area and were not located in the direction of the prevailing winds have been identified as responsive sites for landfill construction. Ultimately, selected susceptible regions were prioritized separately based on the TOPSIS and fuzzy methods. To ascertain the accuracy of the results and the reality of the resulted models, complementary field studies, geotechnical digging, and engineering-geological experiments have been used as verification parameters. According to the results of the verification, the fuzzy model having maximum matches with the verified data has been suggested for prioritizing susceptible regions.

Wastewater remediation of heavy metals and pesticides using rice straw and/or zeolite as bioadsorbents and assessment of treated wastewater reuse in the culture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The remediation of wastewater (WW) is a promising solution for limited water sources. This study aimed to evaluate rice straw (RS) and zeolite (Z) as bioadsorbents for the removal of pollutants, including heavy metals (HMs) (cadmium [Cd], nickel [Ni], and lead [Pb]) and malathion (PC), from WW and to assess the suitability of reusing remediated WW in fish rearing units. A total of 11 treatment groups with 3 replicates each were designed with different combinations of RS and/or Z for the treatment of real WW contaminated with HMs and malathion, where the WW remained in contact with the adsorbents for 24 h. Different remediated WWs were used for rearing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), which were randomly allocated into 33 glass aquaria representing 11 treatments with 3 replicates each for 30 days. The best remediation efficiency was achieved using a mixture of whole RS (WRS), chopped RS (CRS), and Z (HM-PC-WRS-CRS-Z group), with removal percentages of 92%, 95%, 96%, and 99% for Cd, Ni, Pb, and malathion, respectively. The health status of the aquatic ecosystems was assessed through blood tests to characterize biochemical parameters and through pathological changes of cultured O. niloticus reared in treated WW. A significant (P ˂ 0.05) effect on the blood biochemistry of fish reared in treated WW was found and better biochemical and histologic architecture was observed than that of fish reared in untreated WW. A novel mixture of WRS, CRS, and Z could possibly be a promising low-cost adsorbent for wastewater treatment. Graphical abstract.

A High-Yield Process for Production of Biosugars and Hesperidin from Mandarin Peel Wastes

In this research, novel biorefinery processes for obtaining value-added chemicals such as biosugar and hesperidin from mandarin peel waste (MPW) are described. Herein, three different treatment methods were comparatively evaluated to obtain high yields of biosugar and hesperidin from MPW. Each method was determined by changes in the order of three processing steps, i.e., oil removal, hesperidin extraction, and enzymatic hydrolysis. The order of the three steps was found to have a significant influence on the production yields. Biosugar and hesperidin production yields were highest with method II, where the processing steps were performed in the following order: oil removal, enzymatic hydrolysis, and hesperidin extraction. The maximum yields obtained with method II were 34.46 g of biosugar and 6.48 g of hesperidin per initial 100 g of dry MPW. Therefore, the methods shown herein are useful for the production of hesperidin and biosugar from MPW. Furthermore, the utilization of MPWs as sources of valuable materials may be of considerable economic benefits and has become increasingly attractive.

Generation and Prediction of Construction and Demolition Waste Using Exponential Smoothing Method: A Case Study of Shandong Province, China

The output of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in China has been rapidly increasing in the past decades. The direct landfill of such construction and demolition waste without any treatment accounts for about 98%. Therefore, recycling and utilizing this waste is necessary. The prediction of the output of such waste is the basis for waste disposal and resource utilization. This study takes Shandong Province as a case, the current output of C&D waste is analyzed by building area estimation method, and the output of C&D waste in the next few years is also predicted by Mann–Kendall trend test and quadratic exponential smoothing prediction method. Results indicate that the annual productions of C&D waste in Shandong Province demonstrates a significant growth trend with average annual growth of 11.38%. The growth rates of each city differ a lot. The better the city’s economic development, the higher the level of urbanization, the more C&D waste generated. The prediction results suggest that the output of C&D waste in Shandong Province will grow at an average rate of 3.07% in the next few years. By 2025, the amount of C&D waste will reach 141 million tons. These findings can provide basic data support and reference for the management and utilization of C&D waste.

Selection of MSW landfill site by fuzzy-AHP approach combined with GIS: case study in Ahvaz, Iran

The study was aimed to use fuzzy multi-criteria decision making integrated with GIS to select the optimum location for municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites that comply with standard landfill guidelines and environmental and socio-economic criteria. Fuzzy logic and, in particular, fuzzy sets were applied to create the criteria layers in GIS and to weigh and integrate these layers in GIS. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was also used to determine the land suitability for landfill. The method was used as a case study to determine the location of landfills in the suburbs of Ahvaz, Iran. According to the results, transportation networks and residential and commercial areas were the most influential factors on the placement of landfills, with a final weight of 0.163 and 0.131, respectively. Areas near roads and transportation networks but far from the sensitive environmental zones were most suitable for landfill. Finally, 11 sites that met the defined requirements were selected as suitable locations for MSW landfill. This technique and its results can provide a proper guideline to help decision makers choose the optimal landfill site in the future. Depending on their importance in each region, the methodology can incorporate other factors and criteria.

Implementation of fuzzy, Simos and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis for municipal solid waste landfill site selection: Adana City case study

The selection of suitable landfill locations for municipal solid waste has become a top priority, especially in developed countries as a result of rapid population growth, unplanned urbanisation, increasing waste production and the limited area available. However, determining the location of landfill sites is a complex decision-making problem for municipalities and depends on social, environmental, technical and economic factors and regulations. In this study, we combined a geographic information system (GIS), multi-criteria decision-analysis techniques and fuzzy logic to determine the best location for landfill sites in Adana, Turkey, in four steps. Firstly, the threshold values and the coefficient weights of 15 criteria, grouped into environmental and socio-economic factors, were determined by a literature review and expert opinion to select suitable landfill locations. Secondly, selection criteria were standardised using fuzzy logic. Thirdly, we assessed the criteria weights based on their effectiveness on the selection of potential landfill sites using the Simos method. According to the weight coefficients, environmental factors are more important than socio-economic factors. Final maps for each criterion were calculated and overlaid by a GIS. As a result, the final suitability results were divided into four discrete categories: very high, high, moderate and low suitability areas, representing 1%, 76%, 17% and 6% of the location options, respectively. Finally, four different alternative areas were identified as being very highly suitable for landfill locations, which were evaluated in detail using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis. Three key aspects affect the final decision of a landfill site, in decreasing order of importance: environmental protection, minimising the negative impact on urban life quality and economic issues. Consequently, these results can guide decision-makers (ministries, municipalities, planners, etc.) during the selection of suitable landfill sites in both national and international studies.

GIS-based MCDM modeling for landfill site suitability analysis: A comprehensive review of the literature

One of the cheapest and proper methods for the ultimate disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is landfilling. However, determining the location of landfill sites is a difficult and complex task due to depending on social, environmental, technical, economic, and legal factors. To solve the aforementioned challenges related to the landfill site suitability analysis, the combinations of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) have been studied by academia and applied by experts over the years. This notice is apparent by the large number of academic papers which have been announced in the near future. To provide a framework of the existing literature, and to guide colleagues, a state-of-the-art of recent papers is crucial. The goal of this study is to review all scientific papers in GIS-based MCDM modeling for landfill site suitability analysis in academic journals. A total of 106 studies published between 2005 and 2019 are recorded and surveyed. The studies are then investigated and classified by a generated taxonomy including following categories: GIS software, application area, uncertainty, MCDM techniques, cell sizes in GIS, and criteria. Based on the review conducted, it is observed that while Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) are the most widely used MCDM methods for weighting the criteria and ranking the alternatives, respectively. On the other hand, while environmental dimension is the most commonly preferred main criteria, surface water comes first in the sub-criteria pool. Criteria analysis shows that surface and ground water, geology, land use, distance to fault zone, distance to urban areas, and distance to road and slope are the most commonly used criteria groups among others. These classifications and observations are helpful for identifying research gaps in the current literature and provide insights for future modeling and research efforts in the field.

Metagenomic analysis reveals that activated carbon aids anaerobic digestion of raw incineration leachate by promoting direct interspecies electron transfer

The raw fresh leachate from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plants contains high concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), ammonia and metals, all compounds that severely limit anaerobic digestion treatment efficiencies. These inhibitory compounds make reactor systems unstable, causing reactor start-up periods to take more than 100 days, even when the leachate is diluted significantly. In this study, granular activated carbon (GAC) was incorporated into a bioreactor fed with raw incineration leachate. Addition of GAC allowed direct treatment of raw incineration leachate without any start-up acclimation period, while the non-amended control reactor soured immediately and collapsed within 17 days. When hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the GAC-amended reactor was stepwise decreased to increase organic loading rates (OLR) to 25.0 kgCOD/(m³·d), COD removal efficiencies remained stable at >90%. Metagenomic analysis of the GAC-amended reactor revealed that Geobacter and Methanosarcina, species known to participate in direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), were more abundant in the GAC-amended reactor than the seed sludge. In addition, the abundance of genes coding for proteins thought to be involved in DIET such as electrically conductive pili and the outer membrane c-type cytochrome, OmcS, increased significantly, while genes involved in fermentation, and nitrate (narG) and sulfate (dsrA) reduction dropped significantly as the experiment progressed. These results are significant because this is the first detailed investigation into the metabolic capabilities of microbial communities involved in efficient treatment of raw incineration leachate within biomethanogenic reactors that did not require a long start-up period.

Environmental and administrative EVIAVE-based approach for landfill siting

Landfill site selection is a relevant and necessary issue for waste management. However, it is an extremely complex task since it must take into account different environmental, economic and socio-political criteria that need to comply with strict regulations and meet different opinions. Accordingly, in this paper we propose a multi-criteria EVIAVE-(Evaluación del impacto ambiental en vertederos) based approach to evaluate the suitability of a set of possible landfill locations and rationally provide an optimal location for a landfill. The approach requires a comprehensive analysis to identify the best feasible site(s) that minimize a Global Landfill Risk Index (GRI), focused on environmental, economic and administrative impacts, and simultaneously comply with governmental regulations and constraints. This GRI is based on the Environmental Landfill Index, Administrative Landfill Index, Environmental Risk Index, Environmental Value, Probability of Contamination and Contamination Risk Index. An innovative feature of this approach lies in incorporating a mathematical model that combines weighted environmental and administrative issues. The model not only provides an optimal landfill location but also establishes landfill location ranks according to indexes of interest. This methodology reveals flexibility and high adaptability, being a useful and effective tool in the decision-making process. The methodology presented was tested with data available from a preliminary study developed in the municipalities of Oporto Metropolitan Area, Portugal, for the implementation of a multi-municipal landfill, which considers nine different locations for analysis.

Hazardous waste landfill site selection in Western Ghana: An integration of multi-criteria decision analysis and geographic information system

Most cities in developing countries are fast industrialising, leading to an increased hazardous waste generation. Though disposal occupies the bottom of the waste management hierarchy, it is an important component of the waste management chain, requiring greater focus to mitigate its environmental and human health effects. The selection of a hazardous waste landfill site is a complex decision-making process since it requires the consideration of several laws and regulations and the integration of various data. This study presents a multi-criteria decision analysis for selecting hazardous waste landfill sites in Western Ghana. Thirty-two evaluation criteria arranged according to four hierarchy levels were selected for the study. The selected criteria considered geo-environmental, economic and social factors. Twenty-one intermediate suitability maps were created, which were then aggregated to produce a composite landfill suitability map of the study area. To narrow down the search for space for landfill sites, optimality criteria were applied on the composite suitable map to select the best locations for landfill. The application of the optimality criteria led to the selection of 5% of the study area as optimal for landfill sites. However, the final decision for landfill site selection will require further in situ studies. Overall, this research provides a proven landfill site selection methodology, which provides essential support for decision-makers.

Compilation of a model for hazardous waste disposal site selection using GIS-based multi-purpose decision-making models

Nowadays, given the high production volume of industrial and dangerous materials and their impacts on the human society and environment, disposal of waste materials in the environment and finding the best disposal site for industrial and hazardous wastes, as the most significant managerial measure, have become one of the most important and complex decisions in urban management. In order to find a disposal site, analysis of spatial data, laws, and large socioeconomic and environmental criteria is required. Multi-criteria analysis techniques coupled with GIS capabilities can be a good solution for this. Due to numerous industrial units, especially refineries in Bushehr province, it is essential to find a management solution for hazardous wastes of this province. The main objective of this study is to find an optimal location which has the lowest environmental risk and economically favorable. For this purpose, ecological and socioeconomic criteria were identified and normalized by fuzzy method. The weight of the parameters was determined by analytical network process method combined with the weighted linear combination method. In the capability of the area to locate the hazardous waste disposal, the results showed that the highest weight belonged to ecological criteria (61.34%) and land use (0.27), respectively. Also, 6.13% of the province areas are identified with high potentials for disposal of hazardous wastes. The results of this study showed the importance and significant weight of environmental criteria in prioritizing the proposed areas for disposal of this type of waste. Efficiency of the employed models, integrated with GIS and MCDM, was also proven.

Landfill siting based on optimisation, multiple decision analysis, and geographic information system analyses

Sanitary landfill remains the most common methodology for final treatment and disposal of municipal solid waste worldwide, the cost per tonne depends on its scale. The bigger the landfill, the cheaper the cost of treatment, so the consortium of municipalities is the solution to achieve an economic scale. However, the growth of waste production introduces pressure for adequate solutions and therefore has been increasing sanitary landfill site selection studies. This study proposes a methodology for siting sanitary landfills and optimising the transport of municipal solid waste for a locality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Environmental, social, and economic criteria were established. Their correlated attributes were categorised into suitability levels and weighted according to multiple decision analysis. The data were organised and mapped within a geographic information system. Considering sites where landfills are prohibited, two scenarios were generated. The Mixed-Integer Quadratic Programming mathematical model is used to minimise the costs of transporting municipal solid waste and operating sanitary landfills. In Scenario 1, the results indicated that 64% of the area was suitable as a potential sanitary landfill site, 9% of the area exhibited medium suitability, and 27% of the area was classified as restricted. In Scenario 2, the results indicated that 25% of the area was suitable as a potential sanitary landfill site, 4% of the area had medium suitability, and 71% of the area was classified as restricted. The optimal solutions for Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 enabled sites to be determined for five landfills and four landfills, respectively.

Improving the food waste composting facilities site selection for sustainable development using a hybrid modified MADM model

With the growth of population and the development of urbanization, waste management has always been a critical global issue. Recently, more and more countries have found that food waste constitutes the majority of municipal waste, if they are disposed of properly, will bring more benefits in sustainable development. Regarding the issue of selecting and improving the location to make the disposal facility towards achieving the aspiration level for sustainable development, since it involves multiple and complicated interaction factors about environment, society, and economy which have to be considered properly in the decision-making process of mutual influence relationship. It is basically a multiple attribute decision making (MADM) issue, a difficult problem which has been obsessing the governments of many countries is widely studied and discussed. This study uses the new hybrid modified MADM model, as follows, first to build an influential network relation map (INRM) via DEMATEL technique, next to confirm the influential weightings via DANP (DEMATEL-based ANP), and then to construct a decision-making model via a hybrid modified VIKOR method to improve and select the location for remaining the best disposal facilities. Finally, an empirical case study is illustrated to demonstrate that the proposed model can be effective and useful. In finding the process of decision making, environmental pollution is the main concern of many people in the area, but actually it is the resistance by the general public that has to be considered with first priority.

Landfill Site Selection Using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method: A Case Study of the Salafcheghan Special Economic Zone, Iran

Sustainable waste management, particularly in industrial areas, is one of the major challenges of developing countries. Among the important issues in the overall process of industrial wastes management is the necessity of suitable site selection for waste disposal. Considering the effects that the disposal sites exert on their surrounding ecosystem and environment, these sites should be located in places with the minimum destructive effects and the lowest environmental impacts. The aim of this research is to outline important criteria for industrial zone waste disposal site selection and to select optimal and proper disposal sites in the Salafchegan special economic zone. This region, as one of the most important industrial areas and closest to the country’s political–economic center, enjoys a privileged and unique position for producing, exporting, and transiting goods and products. There are various parameters involved in the optimal selection of suitable industrial waste disposal sites. In this case study, issues such as the depth of groundwater, distance from surface- and groundwater, access routes, residential areas, industries, power transmission lines, flood-proneness, faults, slope, and distance from gardens and agricultural lands were taken into account. Following selection and preparation of the maps related to the influential parameters, assigning weights was done through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and using expert comments. At this stage, the maps and weights related to them were introduced into an index overlay model to obtain new maps from combining the influential parameters. Thereafter, the areas with the first and second priorities were selected and out of each one, four sites were suggested for disposing of industrial wastes. The sites with the first and second priorities were specified as A1, A2, A3, and A4 and B1, B2, B3, and B4, respectively. The area, groundwater depth, distance from residential areas, distance from the Salafchegan special economic zone, the direction of the predominant wind, and the land use of the selected sites were also investigated.

Energy, environmental and operation aspects of a SRF-fired fluidized bed waste-to-energy plant

A methodology based on the ISO 14031:2013 guideline has been developed and applied to a full-scale fluidized bed waste to energy plant (WtE) burning solid recovered fuel (SRF). With reference to 3years of operation, the data on energy and environmental performance, on raw materials consumptions such as sand and diesel fuel, accidental reasons of plant shutdown, have been acquired and analyzed. The obtained results have allowed to quantify the energy and environmental performance of the WtE plant under investigation by varying the amount and mixings of the inlet waste, available in form of thickened and fluff (similar to coriander) SRF. In terms of the energy performance, the fluidized bed technology applied to the SRF was able to guarantee an adequate production of electricity (satisfying the market demands), showing a relative flexibility with respect to the inlet waste. In terms of net energy production efficiency, the plant showed values in the range of 13.8-14.9% in line with similar installations. In terms of the environmental performance, the adoption of a cleaning system based on SNCR (Selective Non Catalitic Reduction)+semi-dry scrubbing+Fabric filter generated emissions usually well below the limits set by the EU Directive 2000/76/EC as well as the Italian Law 46/2014 (more restrictive) with reference to all the key parameters. In terms of the plant shutdown, the majority of problems focused on the combustion chamber and boiler due to the erosion of the refractory material of the furnace as well as to the breaking of the superheaters of the boiler. In contrast, the mechanical and electrical causes, along with those related to the control and instrumentation system, were of secondary importance. The sand bed de-fluidization was also among the leading causes of a frequent plant shutdown. In particular, results showed how although the SRF presents standard characteristics, the use of different mixtures may affect the number of plant shutdowns. The full-scale data highlighted how the lower the rate of fluff in the mixture was, the greater the number of plant shutdown due to sand bed de-fluidization was. Finally, the aspects in terms of the energy, environmental protection and raw material consumption have been discussed with reference to similar WtE plants such as Robbins (Chicago, USA), Lidköping (Sweden), Toshima (Tokyo, Japan), Madrid (Spain), Dundee (Scotland, UK) and Valene (Mantes la Jolie, France).

Prevention of landfill pollution by multicriteria spatial decision support systems (MC-SDSS): development, implementation, and case study

Landfilling of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the serious environmental concerns as improper location of MSW landfill site can release the pollutants into the surrounding environment. The process of selecting MSW landfill site is a complicated decision making problem since it is subjected to simultaneous assessment of several environmental criteria, rules, and restrictions besides sociocultural and economic ones. The current study suggests a framework based on Multicriteria spatial decision support systems (MC-SDSS) to select landfill site. The MC-SDSS is an advanced method to integrate multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and geographical information systems (GIS) techniques. This approach enables the incorporation of several conflicting objectives and preferences into spatial decision models. In this study, 14 criteria were chosen and then divided into environmental, sociocultural, and economic categories. Finally, suitability maps were generated based on the MC-SDSS analysis. The developed method was implemented in a real case study in Arak city in northwestern region of Iran, which is environmentally sensitive area. The suitability maps of the case study in Arak showed that 10% (391 km²) is least suitable area, 23% (942 km²) is low suitable, 37% (1507 km²) is moderate suitable, 19% (783 km²) is suitable, and 11% (489 km²) is most suitable locations for landfill site, and finally, three best alternative sites were introduced for the final landfill site.

Pyrolysis of automotive shredder residue in a bench scale rotary kiln

Automotive shredder residue (ASR) can create difficulties when managing, with its production increasing. It is made of different type of plastics, foams, elastomers, wood, glasses and textiles. For this reason, it is complicated to dispose of in a cost effective way, while also respecting the stringent environmental restrictions. Among thermal treatments, pyrolysis seems to offer an environmentally attractive method for the treatment of ASR; it also allows for the recovery of valuable secondary materials/fuels such as pyrolysis oils, chars, and gas. While, there is a great deal of significant research on ASR pyrolysis, the literature on higher scale pyrolysis experiments is limited. To improve current literature, the aim of the study was to investigate the pyrolysis of ASR in a bench scale rotary kiln. The Italian ASR was separated by dry-sieving into two particle size fractions: d<30mm and d>30mm. Both the streams were grounded, pelletized and then pyrolyzed in a continuous bench scale rotary kiln at 450, 550 and 650°C. The mass flow rate of the ASR pellets was 200-350g/h and each test ran for about 4-5h. The produced char, pyrolysis oil and syngas were quantified to determine product distribution. They were thoroughly analyzed with regard to their chemical and physical properties. The results show how higher temperatures increase the pyrolysis gas yield (44wt% at 650°C) as well as its heating value. The low heating value (LHV) of syngas ranges between 18 and 26MJ/Nm³dry. The highest pyrolysis oil yield (33wt.%) was observed at 550°C and its LHV ranges between 12.5 and 14.5MJ/kg. Furthermore, only two out of the six produced chars respect the LHV limit set by the Italian environmental regulations for landfilling. The obtained results in terms of product distribution and their chemical-physical analyses provide useful information for plant scale-up.

Does recyclable separation reduce the cost of municipal waste management in Japan?

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a system involving multiple sub-systems that typically require demanding inputs, materials and resources to properly process generated waste throughput. For this reason, MSW management is generally one of the most expensive services provided by municipalities. In this paper, we analyze the Japanese MSW management system and estimate the cost elasticity with respect to the waste volumes at three treatment stages: collection, processing, and disposal. Although we observe economies of scale at all three stages, the collection cost is less elastic than the disposal cost. We also examine whether source separation at home affects the cost of MSW management. The empirical results show that the separate collection of the recyclable fraction leads to reduced processing costs at intermediate treatment facilities, but does not change the overall waste management cost. Our analysis also reveals that the cost of waste management systems decreases when the service is provided by private companies through a public tender. The cost decreases even more when the service is performed under the coordination of adjacent municipalities.

Multi-criteria decision making to support waste management: A critical review of current practices and methods

Solid waste management is a complex domain involving the interaction of several dimensions; thus, its analysis and control impose continuous challenges for decision makers. In this context, multi-criteria decision-making models have become important and convenient supporting tools for solid waste management because they can handle problems involving multiple dimensions and conflicting criteria. However, the selection of the multi-criteria decision-making method is a hard task since there are several multi-criteria decision-making approaches, each one with a large number of variants whose applicability depends on information availability and the aim of the study. Therefore, to support researchers and decision makers, the objectives of this article are to present a literature review of multi-criteria decision-making applications used in solid waste management, offer a critical assessment of the current practices, and provide suggestions for future works. A brief review of fundamental concepts on this topic is first provided, followed by the analysis of 260 articles related to the application of multi-criteria decision making in solid waste management. These studies were investigated in terms of the methodology, including specific steps such as normalisation, weighting, and sensitivity analysis. In addition, information related to waste type, the study objective, and aspects considered was recorded. From the articles analysed it is noted that studies using multi-criteria decision making in solid waste management are predominantly addressed to problems related to municipal solid waste involving facility location or management strategy.

Did we choose the best one? A new site selection approach based on exposure and uptake potential for waste incineration

Ecological problems arising after the construction and operation of a waste incineration plant generally originate from incorrect decisions made during the selection of the location of the plant. The main objective of this study is to investigate how the selection method for the location of a new municipal waste incineration plant can be improved by using a dispersion modelling approach supported by geographical information systems and multi-criteria decision analysis. Considering this aim, the appropriateness of the current location of an existent plant was assessed by applying a pollution dispersion model. Using this procedure, the site ranking for a total of 90 candidate locations and the site of the existing incinerator were determined by a new location selection practice and the current place of the plant was evaluated by ANOVA and Tukey tests. This ranking, made without the use of modelling approaches, was re-evaluated based on the modelling of various variables, including the concentration of pollutants, population and population density, demography, temporality of meteorological data, pollutant type, risk formation type by CALPUFF and re-ranking the results. The findings clearly indicate the impropriety of the location of the current plant, as the pollution distribution model showed that its location was the fourth-worst choice among 91 possibilities. It was concluded that the location selection procedures for waste incinerators should benefit from the improvements obtained by the articulation of pollution dispersion studies combined with the population density data to obtain the most suitable location.

Comparison of fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TODIM methods for landfill location selection

Landfill location selection is a multi-criteria decision problem and has a strategic importance for many regions. The conventional methods for landfill location selection are insufficient in dealing with the vague or imprecise nature of linguistic assessment. To resolve this problem, fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making methods are proposed. The aim of this paper is to use fuzzy TODIM (the acronym for Interactive and Multi-criteria Decision Making in Portuguese) and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methods for the selection of landfill location. The proposed methods have been applied to a landfill location selection problem in the region of Casablanca, Morocco. After determining the criteria affecting the landfill location decisions, fuzzy TODIM and fuzzy AHP methods are applied to the problem and results are presented. The comparisons of these two methods are also discussed.

Identifying Spatial Clusters of Schistosomiasis in Anhui Province of China: A Study from the Perspective of Application

With the strategy shifting from morbidity control to transmission interruption, the burden of schistosomiasis in China has been declining over the past decade. However, further controls of the epidemic in the lake and marshland regions remain a challenge. Prevalence data at county level were obtained from the provincial surveillance system in Anhui during 1997–2010. Spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatial scan statistics were combined to assess the spatial pattern of schistosomiasis. The spatial-temporal cluster analysis based on retrospective space-time scan statistics was further used to detect risk clusters. The Global Moran’s I coefficients were mostly statistically significant during 1997–2004 but not significant during 2005–2010. The clusters detected by two spatial cluster methods occurred in Nanling, Tongling, Qingyang and Wuhu during 1997–2004, and Guichi and Wuhu from 2005 to 2010, respectively. Spatial-temporal cluster analysis revealed 2 main clusters, namely Nanling (1999–2002) and Guichi (2005–2008). The clustering regions were significantly narrowed while the spatial extent became scattered during the study period. The high-risk areas shifted from the low reaches of the Yangtze River to the upper stream, suggesting the focus of schistosomiasis control should be shifted accordingly and priority should be given to the snail habitats within the high-risk areas of schistosomiasis.