Cloud-based decision framework for waste-to-energy plant site selection - A case study from China

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Decision Science
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Site selection for waste-to-energy (WtE) plants is vital for sustainable waste management.
• Existing methods struggle with information uncertainty and irrational criterion correlations.
• Accurate WtE plant site selection requires robust decision-making frameworks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an advanced methodology for waste-to-energy plant site selection.
• To address limitations in current methods regarding information uncertainty and criterion interdependencies.
• To provide a scientifically sound approach for evaluating WtE plant alternatives.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing cloud models to precisely represent and quantify fuzzy and random information.
• Implementing 2-order additive fuzzy measures, incorporating Mobius transform and correlation coefficient matrix.
• Constructing a Cloud Choquet Integral (CCI) operator for comprehensive alternative evaluation.

Main Results:

• The proposed method effectively handles the uncertainty inherent in WtE site selection data.
• It rationally accounts for correlations among decision criteria, improving evaluation accuracy.
• A case study in China demonstrated the practical effectiveness and reliability of the developed approach.

Conclusions:

• The Cloud Choquet Integral (CCI) method offers a significant advancement in WtE plant site selection.
• This approach enhances decision-making by accurately modeling uncertainty and criterion correlations.
• The findings provide a valuable tool for optimizing WtE infrastructure development.