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Assessment of Different Technologies for Managing Yard Waste Using Analytic Hierarchy Process

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Abstract

The heterogeneity of solid waste generated by a large population of different socio-economic backgrounds in India makes it difficult to have a universal best treatment option. The present study reports a comprehensive assessment of six different technologies for managing yard waste using analytic hierarchy process (AHP): composting, incineration, landfill, anaerobic digestion, pelletization-gasification, and pelletization-pyrolysis. Four criteria, namely, environmental, economic, technical, and socio-political have been considered for evaluation, with each of these having further sub-criteria. The 4 criteria, 17 sub-criteria, and the 6 alternatives are evaluated using AHP for two different cases: one for calculated weights based on the objective, and other assuming equal weights for each criterion and sub-criterion. The pairwise comparison matrices are formed using data collected from literature and the responses recorded from the questionnaire survey. The results are then synthesized to find the most appropriate process for managing yard waste. For both, case 1 and case 2, pelletization-gasification (PG) was the most promising technology followed by pelletization-pyrolysis (PP). Landfill (LF) and incineration (IN) technologies proved to be the least preferred alternatives for managing yard waste. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the effect of variation in importance of different criteria on the final rankings of the technology alternatives.

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Acknowledgements

This research has been funded by the Tata Centre for Technology and Design, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India, through project DGDON 422.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tata Centre for Technology and Design, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India

    Sonal K. Thengane

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  1. Sonal K. Thengane
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Correspondence to Sonal K. Thengane.

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Appendix

Appendix

Pairwise comparison matrices for remaining 16 sub-criteria.

Volume reduction (VR)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

1/4

1/5

1/2

1/6

1/3

0.043

IN

4

1

1/2

3

1/3

2

0.112

LF

5

2

1

4

1/2

3

0.376

AD

2

1/3

1/4

1

1/5

1/2

0.053

PG

6

3

2

5

1

4

0.259

PP

3

1/2

1/3

2

1/4

1

0.156

λmax = 6.24, CI = 0.04

Utility consumption (UC)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

3

1/7

1/4

1/6

1/5

0.045

IN

1/3

1

1/9

1/6

1/8

1/7

0.025

LF

7

9

1

4

2

3

0.387

AD

4

6

1/4

1

1/3

1/2

0.115

PG

6

8

1/2

3

1

2

0.258

PP

5

7

1/3

2

1/2

1

0.170

λmax = 6.24, CI = 0.049

Safety & user-friendliness (SU)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

2

7

5

3

4

0.383

IN

1/2

1

6

4

2

3

0.251

LF

1/7

1/6

1

1/3

1/5

1/4

0.034

AD

1/5

1/4

3

1

1/3

1/2

0.067

PG

1/3

1/2

5

3

1

2

0.161

PP

1/4

1/3

4

2

1/2

1

0.103

λmax = 6.16, CI = 0.032

Scalability potential (SP)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

1/2

1/5

2

1/4

1/3

0.064

IN

2

1

1/4

3

1/2

1/3

0.102

LF

5

4

1

6

2

3

0.382

AD

1/2

1/3

1/6

1

1/5

1/4

0.043

PG

4

2

1/2

5

1

2

0.234

PP

3

3

1/3

4

1/2

1

0.176

λmax = 6.17, CI = 0.035

Capital cost (CC)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

7

8

9

3

4

0.461

IN

1/7

1

2

3

1/5

1/4

0.062

LF

1/8

1/2

1

2

1/6

1/5

0.042

AD

1/9

1/3

1/2

1

1/7

1/6

0.029

PG

1/3

5

6

7

1

2

0.239

PP

1/4

4

5

6

1/2

1

0.166

λmax = 6.25, CI = 0.05

Annual O & M cost (OC)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

3

5

1/5

1/3

1/4

0.090

IN

1/3

1

3

1/7

1/5

1/6

0.046

LF

1/5

1/3

1

1/9

1/7

1/8

0.026

AD

5

7

9

1

3

2

0.394

PG

3

5

7

1/3

1

1/2

0.179

PP

4

6

8

1/2

2

1

0.265

λmax = 6.26, CI = 0.05

Land area (LA)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

1/4

1/2

1/6

1/9

1/8

0.028

IN

4

1

3

1/3

1/6

1/5

0.077

LF

2

1/3

1

1/5

1/8

1/7

0.039

AD

6

3

5

1

1/4

1/3

0.150

PG

9

6

8

4

1

2

0.417

PP

8

5

7

3

1/2

1

0.291

λmax = 6.27, CI = 0.05

Payback period (PP)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

3

7

2

1/3

1/2

0.177

IN

1/3

1

5

1/2

1/5

1/4

0.070

LF

1/7

1/5

1

1/6

1/9

1/8

0.025

AD

1/2

2

6

1

1/4

1/3

0.099

PG

3

5

9

4

1

2

0.379

PP

2

4

8

3

1/2

1

0.250

λmax = 6.27, CI = 0.05

Product demand (PD)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

5

9

3

2

4

0.383

IN

1/5

1

5

1/3

1/4

1/2

0.071

LF

1/9

1/5

1

1/7

1/8

1/6

0.025

AD

1/3

3

7

1

1/2

2

0.163

PG

1/2

4

8

2

1

3

0.253

PP

1/4

2

6

1/2

1/3

1

0.106

λmax = 6.21, CI = 0.04

Load on fossil fuels (LF)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

1/2

2

1/4

1/5

1/3

0.064

IN

2

1

3

1/3

1/4

1/2

0.101

LF

1/2

1/3

1

1/5

1/6

1/4

0.043

AD

4

3

5

1

1/2

2

0.250

PG

5

4

6

2

1

3

0.382

PP

3

2

4

1/2

1/3

1

0.160

λmax = 6.12, CI = 0.024

Pollution and emissions (PE)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

7

4

5

3

1/2

0.292

IN

1/7

1

1/3

1/5

1/4

1/8

0.030

LF

1/4

3

1

1/3

1/2

1/6

0.060

AD

1/5

5

3

1

2

1/4

0.126

PG

1/3

4

2

1/2

1

1/5

0.090

PP

2

8

6

4

5

1

0.402

λmax = 6.31, CI = 0.06

Residue disposal (RD)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

1/3

3

1/5

1/7

1/6

0.046

IN

3

1

5

1/3

1/5

1/4

0.090

LF

1/3

1/5

1

1/7

1/9

1/8

0.026

AD

5

3

7

1

1/3

1/2

0.179

PG

7

5

9

3

1

2

0.394

PP

6

4

8

2

1/2

1

0.265

λmax = 6.26 CI = 0.05

Policy & subsidy (PS)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

9

6

2

3

4

0.412

IN

1/9

1

1/4

1/8

1/7

1/6

0.025

LF

1/6

4

1

1/5

1/4

1/3

0.055

AD

1/2

8

5

1

2

3

0.237

PG

1/3

7

4

1/2

1

2

0.163

PP

1/4

6

3

1/3

1/2

1

0.108

λmax = 6.3, CI = 0.06

Health impact (HI)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

4

2

1/3

1/4

1/2

0.109

IN

1/4

1

1/3

1/6

1/7

1/5

0.034

LF

1/2

3

1

1/4

1/5

1/3

0.068

AD

3

6

4

1

1/2

2

0.255

PG

4

7

5

2

1

3

0.370

PP

2

5

3

1/2

1/3

1

0.164

λmax = 6.16, CI = 0.032

Community acceptance (CA)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

1/2

4

3

1/4

1/3

0.108

IN

2

1

5

4

1/3

1/2

0.165

LF

1/4

1/5

1

1/2

1/7

1/6

0.035

AD

1/3

1/4

2

1

1/6

1/5

0.051

PG

4

3

7

6

1

2

0.386

PP

3

2

6

5

1/2

1

0.255

λmax = 6.165, CI = 0.033

Employment (EM)

 

CT

IN

LF

AD

PG

PP

Priority vector

CT

1

4

1/3

1/2

1/5

1/4

0.073

IN

1/4

1

1/6

1/5

1/8

1/7

0.029

LF

3

6

1

2

1/3

1/2

0.164

AD

2

5

1/2

1

1/4

1/3

0.106

PG

5

8

3

4

1

2

0.374

PP

4

7

2

3

1/2

1

0.255

λmax = 6.2, CI = 0.04

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Thengane, S.K. Assessment of Different Technologies for Managing Yard Waste Using Analytic Hierarchy Process. Process Integr Optim Sustain 3, 255–272 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41660-018-0070-1

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