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Development of a landfill model to prioritize design and operating objectives
K V H Ohman1, J P A Hettiaratchi, J Ruwanpura
1Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|May 12, 2007
Summary
This study applies the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize landfill engineering objectives, considering factors like community distance and precipitation. The Delphi process effectively informed these crucial solid waste management decisions.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Operations Research
- Decision Science
Background:
- Decision-making tools have been used in solid waste management since the 1960s.
- Operations research optimizes landfill design and operations.
- The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) offers a structured approach for complex prioritization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply the AHP for ranking landfill engineering design and operating objectives.
- To prioritize economic, environmental, health and safety, legislative, and public perception goals.
- To analyze objective rankings considering community proximity and precipitation levels.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for multi-criteria decision analysis.
- Employed the Delphi process for a global survey to gather expert input.
- Ranked landfill objectives based on community distance and precipitation data.
Main Results:
- The AHP effectively prioritized diverse landfill objectives.
- The Delphi process proved highly effective in this application.
- Initial rankings show promise for an integrated landfill design and operation model.
Conclusions:
- The AHP is a valuable tool for landfill objective prioritization.
- The Delphi process is an excellent method for gathering data in such studies.
- Results support the development of comprehensive landfill management strategies.
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