Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
10:34
Characterization and Application of Passive Samplers for Monitoring of Pesticides in Water
Published on: August 3, 2016
Multiple interactive pollutants in water quality trading
Amin Sarang1, Barbara J Lence, Abolfazl Shamsai
1Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Avenue, Tehran, 11365-9313, Iran. amin.sarang@gmail.com
Environmental Management
|June 28, 2008
Summary
Weighted-sum permits offer a cost-efficient method for managing multiple interactive pollutants, improving river water quality. This approach aggregates pollutants into a single market for trading transferable discharge permits (TDPs).
Area of Science:
- Environmental Economics
- Water Resource Management
- Pollution Control
Background:
- Efficient environmental management requires addressing multiple pollutants simultaneously.
- Transferable Discharge Permit (TDP) programs exist as separate permits for individual pollutants or weighted-sum permits aggregating multiple pollutants.
- Interactive pollutants jointly affect the environment, necessitating specialized management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To mathematically analyze TDP programs for multiple interactive pollutants.
- To demonstrate the practicality of weighted-sum permits for cost-efficient river water quality maintenance.
- To derive optimal weighting factors for interactive pollutant management.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical analysis of weighted-sum TDP programs for interactive pollutants.
- Derivation of optimal weighting factors based on water quality impacts, marginal damage, and marginal treatment costs.
- Estimation of damage functions using analytical elasticity of substitution.
- Evaluation using a hypothetical two-interactive-pollutant example.
Main Results:
- Weighted-sum permits are practical for cost-efficient river water quality management with interactive pollutants.
- Optimal weighting factors are derived as functions of environmental and economic variables.
- Comparison shows advantages over individual permit systems and TDPs for additive pollutants.
Conclusions:
- Weighted-sum permit programs are a viable and potentially more efficient approach for managing interactive pollutants.
- Practical implementation considerations for weighted-sum permits are discussed.
- This approach offers a pathway to improved river water quality management.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.
01:19Quality of Water
In concrete preparation, the quality of water is paramount as it affects the strength and durability of the concrete. Potable water is usually preferred; however, it must not have excessive sodium or potassium to prevent compromising the concrete's integrity. Water quality is typically evaluated based on impurities such as dissolved solids, chlorides, and sulfates, and its pH value is ideally between 6 and 8. Even slightly acidic natural water may be acceptable unless it contains harmful...
01:30Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Microorganisms play a pivotal role in maintaining ecosystem balance by recycling essential elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, as well as supporting processes like bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and biofuel production.Microbes in Elemental CyclesIn the carbon cycle, microorganisms decompose organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide via aerobic respiration. This carbon dioxide is subsequently used by photosynthetic organisms to synthesize organic compounds, closing the...
01:36Types of Toxins
Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
01:24Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes exhibit distinct physical and biological characteristics that influence their microbial communities. These environments are broadly categorized into lotic systems—those with flowing waters like streams and most rivers—and lentic systems, which include still or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, and marshes.In lentic systems, phytoplankton drive primary production, generating autochthonous organic carbon. In contrast, lotic systems...
01:14Testing Water Quality
When the quality of water for concrete preparation is uncertain, its impact on the setting time of cement and compressive strength of mortar is assessed by comparison with de-ionized or distilled water benchmarks. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C1602 requires the setting times to be within 90 minutes of the control, British Standard (BS) 3146:1980 allows a 30-minute variance in the initial setting, while British Standards European Norm (BS EN) 1008 specifies initial setting...