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Application of MCAT to provide multi-objective optimization model for municipal waste management system

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Abstract

Choosing an appropriate municipal waste management method is a very complicated environmental problem in cities. This research introduces an optimization model for waste management in the southwest region of Tehran province. It was developed by a metaheuristic algorithm that was used to minimize the economic and environmental costs. Incineration, composting, recycling and landfilling waste management methods were considered. Three scenarios were developed to determine the optimum allocation of waste to each method such to fulfill the objective of overall minimum of environmental burdens and costs. A multi-objective scenario selection model was implemented by the compromise programming method in MCAT software. Considering the budget limitation and available facilities on site, optimum allocations to recycling, composting, incineration and landfilling methods were obtained as 115,486, 132,094, 71,905 and 45,516 tons/year, respectively. The results of this study indicated that the metaheuristic algorithm in MCAT software was an efficient tool in decision making about waste management systems and thus, it was suggested to municipality managers and regional planning authorities.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Robatkarim Waste Management Organization Science for their support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Gita Farzaneh & Nematollah Khorasani

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Nematollah Khorasani

  3. Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Jamal Ghodousi

  4. Department of Energy Engineering and Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Mostafa Panahi

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  1. Gita Farzaneh
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  2. Nematollah Khorasani
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  3. Jamal Ghodousi
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  4. Mostafa Panahi
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Correspondence to Nematollah Khorasani.

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Farzaneh, G., Khorasani, N., Ghodousi, J. et al. Application of MCAT to provide multi-objective optimization model for municipal waste management system. J Environ Health Sci Engineer 19, 1781–1794 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00733-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00733-7

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