Using integrated food‐web and population‐based models for environmental monitoring,remediation decisions,and long‐term planning

While ecologists have used food‐web models to understand how ecosystems function, the potential role of integrated food‐web and population‐based models in environmental monitoring and decision making has been ignored. Sound ecological principles should be integrated with state‐of‐the‐art monitoring and management practices. This article presents the ways in which population‐based models can answer basic ecological questions necessary for decision making about remediation and restoration, and for monitoring to ensure long‐term stewardship. Discussed are the uses of food‐web and population‐based models for understanding the movement of chemicals through different trophic levels. Three examples, including global warming, tributyltin, and monomethylmercury scenarios, are presented to illustrate how such models are useful. The responses of the component parts varies, depending on parameters such as birth, death, and respiration, as well as feeding rates, predator‐prey rates, and uptake and elimination rates. There are several different models available for decision making, with different levels of complexity, based on the specific hypothesis or question being asked and the amount of current information available. Therefore, it is recommended to use deterministic‐based, population‐based food‐web models for ecological risk assessment. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A novel sustainable decision making model for municipal solid waste management

This paper reviews several models developed to support decision making in municipal solid waste management (MSWM). The concepts underlying sustainable MSWM models can be divided into two categories: one incorporates social factors into decision making methods, and the other includes public participation in the decision-making process. The public is only apprised or takes part in discussion, and has little effect on decision making in most research efforts. Few studies have considered public participation in the decision-making process, and the methods have sought to strike a compromise between concerned criteria, not between stakeholders. However, the source of the conflict arises from the stakeholders' complex web of value. Such conflict affects the feasibility of implementing any decision. The purpose of this study is to develop a sustainable decision making model for MSWM to overcome these shortcomings. The proposed model combines multicriteria decision making (MCDM) and a consensus analysis model (CAM). The CAM is built up to aid in decision-making when MCDM methods are utilized and, subsequently, a novel sustainable decision making model for MSWM is developed. The main feature of CAM is the assessment of the degree of consensus between stakeholders for particular alternatives. A case study for food waste management in Taiwan is presented to demonstrate the practicality of this model.     

A Slice of Guidance Provides Some Insight to Addressing Contaminated Sediments

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued guidance to improve cleanup risk management decisions at sites involving contaminated sediments. The guidance is titled Principles for Managing Contaminated Sediment Risks at Hazardous Waste Sites and is important because sediment cleanup decisions are often very technical and complex. While the guidance is not a step‐by‐step “how to” document, it does provide the framework for risk‐based decision making and national consistency. Although it does not answer the more technical questions associated with remediation, it will likely provide site managers with greater certainty related to their decisions and help determine what questions need to be asked for many complex issues. Additional and forthcoming EPA reports, seminars, and products will be useful in building upon this framework. This article provides an overview of the risk management principles presented in the guidance. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Waste management models and their application to sustainable waste management

The purpose of this paper is to review the types of models that are currently being used in the area of municipal waste management and to highlight some major shortcomings of these models. Most of the municipal waste models identified in the literature are decision support models and for the purposes of this research, are divided into three categories-those based on cost benefit analysis, those based on life cycle assessment and those based on multicriteria decision making. Shortcomings of current waste management models include that they are concerned with refinements of the evaluation steps (e.g. stage four of AHP or the improvement of weight allocations in ELECTRE) rather than addressing the decision making process itself. In addition, while many models recognise that for a waste management model to be sustainable, it must consider environmental, economic and social aspects, no model examined considered all three aspects together in the application of the model.     

Solid waste management by application of the WAMED model

This article aims to develop a general model for the evaluation of ecological-economic efficiency that will serve as an information support tool for decision making at the corporate, municipal, and regional levels. It encompasses cost-benefit analysis in solid waste management by applying a sustainability promoting approach that is explicitly related to monetary measures. A waste managements’ efficient decision (WAMED) model based on cost-benefit analysis is proposed and developed to evaluate the ecological-economic efficiency of solid waste management schemes. The employment of common business administration methodology tools is featured. A classification of competing waste management models is introduced to facilitate evaluation of the relevance of the previously introduced WAMED model. Suggestions are made for how to combine the previously introduced EUROPE model, based on the equality principle, with the WAMED model to create economic incentives to reduce solid waste management-related emissions. A fictive case study presents the practical application of the proposed cost-benefit analysis-based theory to the landfilling concept. It is concluded that the presented methodology reflects an integrated approach to decreasing negative impacts on the environment and on the health of the population, while increasing economic benefits through the implementation of solid waste management projects.     

Multi-objective optimization of solid waste flows: environmentally sustainable strategies for municipalities

An approach to sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW) management is presented, with the aim of supporting the decision on the optimal flows of solid waste sent to landfill, recycling and different types of treatment plants, whose sizes are also decision variables. This problem is modeled with a non-linear, multi-objective formulation. Specifically, four objectives to be minimized have been taken into account, which are related to economic costs, unrecycled waste, sanitary landfill disposal and environmental impact (incinerator emissions). An interactive reference point procedure has been developed to support decision making; these methods are considered appropriate for multi-objective decision problems in environmental applications. In addition, interactive methods are generally preferred by decision makers as they can be directly involved in the various steps of the decision process. Some results deriving from the application of the proposed procedure are presented. The application of the procedure is exemplified by considering the interaction with two different decision makers who are assumed to be in charge of planning the MSW system in the municipality of Genova (Italy).     

Planning‐level source decay models to evaluate impact of source depletion on remediation time frame

A recent United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Expert Panel on Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) Source Remediation concluded that the decision‐making process for implementing source depletion is hampered by quantitative uncertainties and that few useful predictive tools are currently available for evaluating the benefits. This article provides a new planning‐level approach to aid the process. Four simple mass balance models were used to provide estimates of the reduction in the remediation time frame (RTF) for a given amount of source depletion: step function, linear decay, first‐order decay, and compound. As a shared framework for assessment, all models use the time required to remediate groundwater concentrations below a particular threshold (e.g., goal concentration or mass discharge rate) as a metric. This value is of interest in terms of providing (1) absolute RTF estimates in years as a function of current mass discharge rate, current source mass, the remediation goal, and the source‐ reduction factor, and (2) relative RTF estimates as a fraction of the remediation time frame for monitored natural attenuation (MNA). Because the latter is a function of the remediation goal and the remaining fraction (RF) of mass following remediation, the relative RTF can be a valuable aid in the decision to proceed with source depletion or to use a long‐term containment or MNA approach. Design curves and examples illustrate the nonlinear relationship between the fraction of mass remaining following source depletion and the reduction in the RTF in the three decay‐based models. For an example case where 70 percent of the mass was removed by source depletion and the remediation goal (C_g/C₀) was input as 0.01, the improvement in the RTF (relative to MNA) ranged from a 70 percent reduction (step function model) to a 21 percent reduction (compound model). Because empirical and process knowledge support the appropriateness of decay‐based models, the efficiency of source depletion in reducing the RTF is likely to be low at most sites (i.e., the percentage reduction in RTF will be much lower than the percentage of the mass that is removed by a source‐depletion project). Overall, the anticipated use of this planning model is in guiding the decision‐making process by quantifying the relative relationship between RTF and source depletion using commonly available site data. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Systematic planning for Triad projects

This article examines specific systematic planning steps that can be used for designing and controlling Triad projects. Triad work strategies act to limit decision uncertainty, expedite schedules to meet project milestones, and reduce costs associated with cleanup activities. As a result, the Triad approach is rapidly increasing in popularity. Good project planning has always been seen as the cornerstone of successful Triad projects. However, the specific steps in the systematic planning process have not been extensively published. Demands of Triad projects, which attempt to make maximum use of innovative technologies and sequencing of activities in a learn‐ as‐you‐go framework, put new demands on regulators and project managers alike. Specific activities and relationships are identified to assist project managers with dynamic work strategies and real‐time measurements to support improved decision making. These include: assembly of stakeholders, a core technical team, and key decisions; development and refinement of a site model; use of demonstrations of methods applicability; development of dynamic work strategies and project sequencing; real‐time data management assessment and presentation; and unitized procurement of technologies and services. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Incorporating green and sustainable remediation analysis in coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundment closure decision making

In response to new coal combustion residuals (CCR) disposal regulations, many coal‐fired utilities have closed existing unlined surface impoundments (SIs) that were traditionally used for disposal of CCR. The two primary closure options are closure‐in‐place (CIP), which involves dewatering and capping, and closure‐by‐removal (CBR), which includes excavation, transportation, and disposal of the CCR into a lined landfill. This article provides a methodology and a case study of how green and sustainable remediation concepts, including accounting for the life cycle environmental footprints and the physical risks to workers and community members, can be incorporated into the closure decision‐making process. The environmental impacts, occupational risks, and traffic‐related fatalities and injuries to workers and community members were calculated and compared for closure alternatives at a hypothetical site. The results demonstrated that the adverse impacts of the CBR option were significantly greater than those of the CIP option with respect to the analyzed impact pathways.     

Integrating multi-criteria techniques with geographical information systems in waste facility location to enhance public participation.

Despite recent U.K. Government commitments' to encourage public participation in environmental decision making, those exercises conducted to date have been largely confined to 'traditional' modes of participation such as the dissemination of information and in encouraging feedback on proposals through, for example, questionnaires or surveys. It is the premise of this paper that participative approaches that use IT-based methods, based on combined geographical information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria evaluation techniques that could involve the public in the decision-making process, have the potential to build consensus and reduce disputes and conflicts such as those arising from the siting of different types of waste facilities. The potential of these techniques are documented through a review of the existing literature in order to highlight the opportunities and challenges facing decision makers in increasing the involvement of the public at different stages of the waste facility management process. It is concluded that there are important lessons to be learned by researchers, consultants, managers and decision makers if barriers hindering the wider use of such techniques are to be overcome.     

Theoretical Investigation of Urban Air Quality Management Systems Performance Towards Simplified Strategic Environmental Planning

Urban Air Quality Management Systems are software tools that combine air quality models with various software modules like geographical information systems, databases, expert systems and statistical analysis tools. Such systems try to interpret as accurately as possible the complex interactions between various atmospheric, emission, land use and topographic parameters involved in the air pollution management problem, in order to provide support for environmental strategic planning and decision making. As this process involves a huge set of parameters, some of which may only be roughly estimated, air quality management systems tend to aggregate parameters in order to simplify their analysis and make it more effective and operational. Yet, this aggregation may lead to deviations in the analysis results, as proved in this theoretical article, and thus influence the decision making and strategic planning process. According to the findings of this article, such a policy making process should focus primarily on short term measures when dealing with air pollution episode management.     

Waste disposal technology transfer matching requirement clusters for waste disposal facilities in China

Even though technology transfer has been part of development aid programmes for many decades, it has more often than not failed to come to fruition. One reason is the absence of simple guidelines or decision making tools that help operators or plant owners to decide on the most suitable technology to adopt. Practical suggestions for choosing the most suitable technology to combat a specific problem are hard to get and technology drawbacks are not sufficiently highlighted. Western counterparts in technology transfer or development projects often underestimate or don’t sufficiently account for the high investment costs for the imported incineration plant; the differing nature of Chinese MSW; the need for trained manpower; and the need to treat flue gas, bunker leakage water, and ash, all of which contain highly toxic elements.This article sets out requirements for municipal solid waste disposal plant owner/operators in China as well as giving an attribute assessment for the prevalent waste disposal plant types in order to assist individual decision makers in their evaluation process for what plant type might be most suitable in a given situation. There is no ‘best’ plant for all needs and purposes, and requirement constellations rely on generalisations meaning they cannot be blindly applied, but an alignment of a type of plant to a type of owner or operator can realistically be achieved. To this end, a four-step approach is suggested and a technology matrix is set out to ease the choice of technology to transfer and avoid past errors. The four steps are (1) Identification of plant owner/operator requirement clusters; (2) Determination of different municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment plant attributes; (3) Development of a matrix matching requirement clusters to plant attributes; (4) Application of Quality Function Deployment Method to aid in technology localisation.The technology transfer matrices thus derived show significant performance differences between the various technologies available. It is hoped that the resulting research can build a bridge between technology transfer research and waste disposal research in order to enhance the exchange of more sustainable solutions in future.     

Nanoremediation and International Environmental Restoration Markets

Nanoscale zero‐valent iron (nZVI) is the most commonly used nanoremediation material. While there has been a reasonable level of application of nZVI technologies for in situ remediation in the United States, its utilization across Europe has been much more limited. There has been significant uncertainty about the balance between deployment risks and benefits for nanoparticles (NPs), which has affected the regulatory position in several countries. Some member states of the European Union (EU) take a strong precautionary view of the risks from the deployment of NPs into the subsurface, preventing the adoption of the technology. This article provides a risk–benefit assessment for nZVI based on published information and describes the steps that will be taken by a major European research project (NanoRem), as part of its work to provide a basis for better informed decision making in European environmental restoration markets. A key part of this process is dialogue between practitioners and researchers. NanoRem therefore has an active process of communication with different stakeholder networks (regulators, service providers, and site owners). NanoRem hopes to stimulate a consensus on appropriate use of nanoremediation and thereby stimulate effective technology transfer to the European remediation market. ©2015 The Authors     

Crop‐based systems for sustainable risk‐based land management for economically marginal damaged land

The increasing need for biomass for energy and feedstocks, along with the need to divert organic methane generating wastes from landfills, may provide the economic leverage necessary to return this type of marginal land to functional and economic use and is strongly supported by policy at the European Union (EU) level. The use of land to produce biomass for energy production or feedstocks for manufacturing processes (such as plastics and biofuels) has, however, become increasingly contentious, with a number of environmental, economic, and social concerns raised. The REJUVENATE project has developed a decision support framework to help land managers and other decision makers identify potential concerns related to sustainability and what types of biomass reuse for marginal land might be possible, given their particular circumstances. The decision‐making framework takes a holistic approach to decision making rather than viewing biomass production simply as an adjunct of a planned phytoremediation project. The framework is serviceable in Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These countries have substantive differences in their land and biomass reuse circumstances. However, all can make use of the set of common principles of crop, site, value, and project risk management set out by REJUVENATE. This implies that the framework should have wider applicability across the EU. This article introduces the decision support framework. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Facilitating brownfields transactions using Triad and environmental insurance

A significant hindrance to reuse of brownfields properties is the risk associated with redevelopment,specifically the uncertainty associated with environmental cleanup. This article explores an approach tomanaging environmental risk through a combination of risk quantification, environmental insurance, and theTriad Approach to site sampling and data interpretation. The expected costs of environmental liabilities areestimated using the Marsh Peer ReviewSM risk quantification process that employs statistical techniques andhighly experienced technical staff. The outputs of the process indicate premiums and attachment points forinsurance products, but they also point to “critical uncertainties” that drive the insurancepremiums. Insurance premiums are often linked to site delineation deficiencies, such as the magnitude ofimpacted soil or the size of a groundwater plume. The Triad Approach is an integrated site characterizationprocess developed by the Environmental Protection Agency that combines systematic planning, dynamic or adaptivefield decision making and field analytical methods (FAMs). The real‐time data produced by FAMsallow for in‐field resolution of uncertainty about sample location, which in turn provides morerepresentative delineation of contaminant distribution. The trade‐off of using slightly less accuratebut substantially lower cost FAMs is an increase in sampling frequency or density, thereby reducing the risk ofincomplete detection or delineation while yielding a “data set” that is more powerful than fewerindividual data points analyzed through traditional methods. Employing the Triad Approach to analyze the“critical uncertainties” identified in the Peer Review Process can impact insurance premiums andallow for better terms of coverage. The combination of using the Triad Approach and environmental insuranceproducts can lead to more predictable and profitable Brownfield transactions. © 2003 Wiley Peridicals,Inc.     

Carbon dioxide utilization with carbonation using industrial waste-desulfurization gypsum and waste concrete

In this study, we propose a process making calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate and recovering absorbent using ammonia absorbent, carbon dioxide, and industrial waste. The main objective of this study is to confirm the possibility of carbon capture and utilization based on waste materials. We assumed desulfurization gypsum and construction waste (ready mixed concrete washing water, waste concrete, etc.) are CaSO₄, Ca(OH)₂, respectively. And concentration of simulated carbon dioxide gas was 15 vol% similar to flue gas. Calcium carbonate was produced by combination reaction between ionic CO₂ in absorbent and metal ion in the solid waste. Experiments were conducted at normal temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the generated products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope.     

LCA-IWM: a decision support tool for sustainability assessment of waste management systems

The paper outlines the most significant result of the project 'The use of life cycle assessment tools for the development of integrated waste management strategies for cities and regions with rapid growing economies', which was the development of two decision-support tools: a municipal waste prognostic tool and a waste management system assessment tool. The article focuses on the assessment tool, which supports the adequate decision making in the planning of urban waste management systems by allowing the creation and comparison of different scenarios, considering three basic subsystems: (i) temporary storage; (ii) collection and transport and (iii) treatment, disposal and recycling. The design and analysis options, as well as the assumptions made for each subsystem, are shortly introduced, providing an overview of the applied methodologies and technologies. The sustainability assessment methodology used in the project to support the selection of the most adequate scenario is presented with a brief explanation of the procedures, criteria and indicators applied on the evaluation of each of the three sustainability pillars.     

From open debate to position war: Siting a radioactive waste repository in Hungary

Recent research focusing on environmental conflicts has revealed that interested parties may utilize different perspective and attempt to solve different problems. These findings suggest that in order to find mutually acceptable solutions, participants should understand the other parties' problem representations which are often subject to significant changes during the decision making and negotiation process. Based on recent findings in behavioral research, a model is suggested which describes the process of construction, application, and change of problem representations. The attempts to site a low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Hungary is presented as an illustrative example. The case complies with the suggested process model confirming that (a) in public debates problem representations are actively constructed and changing over time, (b) interested parties are stimulated to stabilize their views and form cognitive panels, (c) external factors or internal demands can alter some elements of panels, and (d) in case of the lack of specific knowledge communication will play a major role in building problem representations.     

The waste reduction (WAR) algorithm: environmental impacts, energy consumption, and engineering economics

A general theory known as the waste reduction (WAR) algorithm has been developed to describe the flow and the generation of potential environmental impact through a chemical process. The theory defines indexes that characterize the generation and the output of potential environmental impact from a process. The existing theory has been extended to include the potential environmental impact of the energy consumed in a chemical process. Energy will have both an environmental impact as well as an economic impact on process design and analysis. Including energy into the analysis of environmental impact is done by re-writing the system boundaries to include the power plant which supplies the energy being consumed by the process and incorporating the environmental effects of the power plant into the analysis. The effect of this addition on the original potential impact indexes will be discussed. An extensive engineering economic evaluation has been included in the process analysis which inherently contains the cost of the consumed energy as an operating cost. A case study is presented which includes a base process design and two modifications to the base design. Each design is analyzed from an economic perspective and an environmental impact perspective. The environmental impact analysis is partitioned into the impacts of the non-product streams and the impacts of the energy generation/consumption process. The comparisons of these analysis procedures illustrate the consequences for decision making in the design of environmentally friendly processes.     

Developing Effective Decision Support for the Application of “Gentle” Remediation Options: The GREENLAND Project

Gentle remediation options (GRO) are risk management strategies/technologies that result in a net gain (or at least no gross reduction) in soil function as well as risk management. They encompass a number of technologies, including the use of plant (phyto‐), fungi (myco‐), and/or bacteria‐based methods, with or without chemical soil additives or amendments, for reducing contaminant transfer to local receptors by in situ stabilization, or extraction, transformation, or degradation of contaminants. Despite offering strong benefits in terms of risk management, deployment costs, and sustainability for a range of site problems, the application of GRO as practical on‐site remedial solutions is still in its relative infancy, particularly for metal(loid)‐contaminated sites. A key barrier to wider adoption of GRO relates to general uncertainties and lack of stakeholder confidence in (and indeed knowledge of) the feasibility or reliability of GRO as practical risk management solutions. The GREENLAND project has therefore developed a simple and transparent decision support framework for promoting the appropriate use of gentle remediation options and encouraging participation of stakeholders, supplemented by a set of specific design aids for use when GRO appear to be a viable option. The framework is presented as a three phased model or Decision Support Tool (DST), in the form of a Microsoft Excel‐based workbook, designed to inform decision‐making and options appraisal during the selection of remedial approaches for contaminated sites. The DST acts as a simple decision support and stakeholder engagement tool for the application of GRO, providing a context for GRO application (particularly where soft end‐use of remediated land is envisaged), quick reference tables (including an economic cost calculator), and supporting information and technical guidance drawing on practical examples of effective GRO application at trace metal(loid) contaminated sites across Europe. This article introduces the decision support framework. ©2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.